DEFENCE

Afghanistan

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost of UK operations in Afghanistan has been to date.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 23 April 2012
	We estimate that, as at 31 March 2012, the net additional cost of military operations in Afghanistan since 2001-02 has been some £17 billion.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2011, Official Report, column 86W, on Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft, how much has been spent on the Joint Strike Fighter in each cost category to date.

Peter Luff: The total expenditure on the Joint Strike Fighter is £1,825 million, being £1,495 million up to and including the development phase with a further £330 million on the production phase.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2012, Official Report, column 9W, on the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, what the through-life costs were for the carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter in 2011-12; what the projected costs are for 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: We are currently finalising the 2012-13 Budget and balancing the Equipment Plan. As part of this process we are reviewing all programmes, including elements of the Carrier Strike Programme, to validate costs and ensure risks are properly managed. The Defence Secretary expects to announce the outcome of this process to Parliament soon.

Lynx Helicopters

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to arm the Army's variant of the Wildcat with (i) Sting Ray and (ii) Brimstone.

Peter Luff: holding answer 18 April 2012
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 78W. The Army variant of the Lynx Wildcat will perform a range of tasks including reconnaissance, command and control, force protection and light transport. The role of the Maritime Variant will include, but is not limited to, Anti-Surface Warfare and an Anti-Submarine role. The suite of weapons each will carry is specific to the variant and is based on these roles.

Military Bases: Carbon Emissions

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the level of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department's military establishments (a) in the UK and (b) abroad in each year since 2009.

Andrew Robathan: Carbon emissions from Ministry of Defence (MOD) military establishments (including office buildings, training areas, naval bases, educational sites, storage facilities and airfields) are shown in the following table. Data were collated and reported for the MOD as a whole and are not split between UK and overseas establishments.
	
		
			 Carbon emissions 
			  tCO 2 
			 2008-09 1,848,700 
			 2009-10 1,720,600 
			 2010-11 1,683,900 
		
	
	Emissions are calculated each year from the total energy consumption, in kWh, of all fuel types for all MOD activities worldwide. Operational theatres, trading fund agencies (except DSTL) and non-departmental public bodies are excluded.

Official Secrets

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any person employed by (a) his Department, (b) the agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible and (c) any private firms contracted by his Department is bound by any part of the Official Secrets Act.

Andrew Robathan: Personnel in the Ministry of Defence (MOD), its agencies and Crown Servants in non-departmental public bodies are bound by the Official Secrets Act, as are employees of private firms contracted by the MOD.

Research

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's research and development expenditure in 2009-10 and 2010-11 was spent (a) within his Department excluding the Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), (b) by DSTL, (c) with Qinetiq, (d) with UK universities, (e) with UK small and medium-sized enterprises, (f) with other UK companies and (g) with overseas-based organisations.

Peter Luff: In 2009-10, the MOD research and development expenditure was approximately:
	(i) 16% by DSTL
	(ii) Less than 1% with UK universities
	(ii) 61% with other UK companies
	(iv) 23% with overseas based organisations
	In 2010-11, the MOD research and development expenditure was approximately:
	(i) 14% by DSTL
	(ii) Less than 1% with UK universities
	(iii) 75% with other UK companies
	(iv) 11% with overseas based organisations
	The separation of these figures into research and development and the apportionment to the other categories requested are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answers of 10 October 2011, Official Report, columns 48-50W, on departmental research, for what reason the figures given in each answer for research expenditure by his Department for each of the last five years differ between the two Answers.

Peter Luff: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a significant spend on development, which we regard as different from research. A definition of both was in my previous answer dated 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 48W. The difference in the two sets of figures is that one was the combination of total departmental expenditure on research and development combined, and the other was the total departmental expenditure on research only; the latter provided to add clarity against the figures requested for the Science and Technology Programme expenditure.
	There have been revisions to the 2009-10 figures due to improved data coverage of research and development spend in top level budgets other than those covered in the main survey by Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA). The 2010-11 figures for research and development are also now available.
	The updated figures for departmental expenditure on research and development as a total, and the development expenditure and that for research shown separately are as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Financial year Net MOD research and development expenditure Total MOD development expenditure Total MOD research expenditure 
			 2009-10 (1)1,752 (1)1,177 (1)575 
			 2010-11 1,560 1,026 534 
			 (1) Revised.

Submarines: Accidents

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what collisions involving a UK nuclear-powered submarine and (a) another submarine, (b) another naval vessel, (c) a private vessel and (d) a merchant vessel have taken place in each year since 2009;
	(2)  what grounding incidents involving UK nuclear-powered submarines have taken place in each year since 2009.

Nick Harvey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2 November 2010, Official Report, column 693W and on 30 November 2010, Official Report, column 747W. There have been no other grounding incidents or collisions involving UK nuclear-powered submarines since.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Electronic Government: Petitions

Grahame Morris: To ask the Leader of the House how many of the e-petitions with 100,000 signatures or more on the Government's e-petitions website have been debated in Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

George Young: Of the 10 e-petitions which have reached 100,000 signatures or more, eight have been debated in the House of Commons. The Government's e-petitions website has helped connect thousands of people with Parliament, and triggered debates which have been among the best-attended and widely-watched of this Session.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Chris Bryant: To ask the Leader of the House if he will take steps to allow questions tabled by hon. Members for written answer to be carried over to the 2012-13 Session.

George Young: No; I have no plans to bring forward proposals to vary the established practice under successive Administrations.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Vacancies

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many job vacancies there were for (a) staff posts and (b) senior Civil Service posts in the Law Officers' Departments on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  AGO HMCPSI TSOL SFO CPS 
			 Vacancies as at  31 March each year Staff SCS Staff SCS Staff SCS Staff SCS Staff SCS 
			 2010 2 0 l 0 2 0 43 0 129 1 
			 2011 0 0 8- 0 5 0 46 0 27 0 
			 2012 0 0 13 0 15 0 51 4 141 0

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Addison Lee

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with John Griffin of Addison Lee since 12 May 2010.

Gregory Barker: Details of meetings between Ministers and external organisations are published quarterly on the departmental website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/ministermtgs/ministermtgs.aspx
	Information for the quarter since October 2011 will be published in due course.
	The departmental special advisers have held no such meetings.
	Details of meetings between the Permanent Secretary and external organisations are published quarterly on the departmental website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/permsec_mtgs/permsec_mtgs.aspx
	Information for the quarter since October 2011 will be published in due course.
	Information on meetings between officials in my Department and John Griffin of Addison Lee could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Electricity

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will revise the forward projections to 2027 of carbon emission factors for electricity for the purposes of the Standard Assessment Procedure based on the announcement in the Budget Statement that gas will be the largest single source of electricity in the coming years.

Charles Hendry: DECC has recently consulted on an amended methodology for estimating the carbon emission factors that will be used to inform the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) and the other National Calculation Methodologies. The consultation closed on 28 March and responses are currently being considered. Initial indications are that a clear majority of respondents supported the proposal to use forward projections that look out to 2016 rather than into the 2020s. The Government will set out their conclusions as a result of this consultation in due course.

Energy: Billing

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of households that are in credit with their energy supplier.

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold any information on whether customer energy supply accounts are in credit.

Energy: Conservation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans are in place should the delivery of any community energy saving programme extend beyond December 2012.

Gregory Barker: The Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) ends on 31 December 2012 and will be followed by the energy company obligation (ECO). The Government have no intention of extending the deadline for achievement of the targets under CERT and CESP beyond the end of this year. To help the transition between the schemes it is planned that the ECO should come into effect from October this year.
	Where work on a CESP scheme is completed after 31 December 2012 it can be used to help meet a company's obligation under the ECO, as long as the measures concerned would also qualify under the ECO.

Legal Costs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on fees for legal work in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The information asked for cannot be given without incurring disproportionate cost.
	However, some information covering sums above £500 paid for certain items of legal work between April 2010 and February 2012 is available on the DECC website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/expenditure/spend_over_500/spend_over 500.aspx

Meters

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many cases involving smart meters the Energy Ombudsman has dealt with in the last 12 months.

Charles Hendry: The energy ombudsman received 22 cases involving smart meters during the period 1 April 2011 to 19 April 2012. Of these, five complainants failed to return the complaint form to the ombudsman's office and one was outside the ombudsman's terms of reference. Of the remaining 16 cases, eight have been concluded and eight are still in process.

Meters: Rural Areas

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Government on the implementation of smart meter roll-out in rural areas.

Charles Hendry: Regular meetings are held at ministerial and official level to discuss a range of energy and climate change issues.
	The Government will place regulatory obligations on energy suppliers that will require them to take all reasonable steps to install smart meters for all their domestic and smaller non-domestic customers by the completion date in 2019. This obligation will apply equally to customers in rural areas as to others.
	This policy has been informed by extensive formal and informal consultation with stakeholders, including with the Welsh Government. On 5 April we published four further consultation documents, seeking views on a Consumer Engagement Strategy, the policy framework for Data Access and Privacy, the Smart Energy Code and the Data and Communications Company licence conditions.

Nuclear Power

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from what sources other than the public purse he intends that the Contract for Difference support for new nuclear will be financed.

Charles Hendry: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The CfD is a market based mechanism that aims to support all sources of low carbon generation, including nuclear, with no contribution from the public purse. Low carbon generators with a Contract for Difference will earn money from selling electricity in the market and then either receive a further top-up payment if the electricity price is below the CfD strike price, or repay suppliers if the electricity price is above the strike price. Suppliers will pass on these costs to customers. The details of this will be set out in the forthcoming energy bill and associated documents.

Official Secrets

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether any person employed by (a) his Department, (b) the agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible and (c) any private firms contracted by his Department is bound by any part of the Official Secrets Act.

Gregory Barker: All Crown servants and Government contractors (as defined by sections 12(1) and 12(2) of the Official Secrets Act 1989) are subject to the requirements of the Official Secrets Act. Upon entering the Department, all staff are made aware that they are bound by the terms of the Official Secrets Act and that their actions resulting in unauthorised disclosure of official information may result in legal proceedings being taken against them.

Procurement

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the (a) best mechanisms, (b) extent of funding required and (c) likeliness of a referral to the Classification Committee of the Office for National Statistics as a possible levy mechanism for a counter party fund set up to implement contracts for difference.

Gregory Barker: DECC have considered a number of mechanisms through which to settle the payments due under the Contract for Difference, including the use of levies, obligations and industry codes, and the implications for classification.
	We understand importance of a bankable CFD contract and we are working with industry to ensure that the payment model for the contracts for difference provides them with the required level of certainty. We will set out more detail on the proposed model in a draft CFD Operational Framework this spring.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department collects the IP addresses of online respondents to its consultations.

Gregory Barker: IP addresses are collected only where respondents use DECC's online consultation system. Not all of DECC's consultations use this facility, and where the system is used other options for responding are also available.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Listed Buildings

James Gray: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many listed buildings are on the Parliamentary Estate; what budgeted plans there are for alterations to such buildings; and what estimate the House of Commons Commission has made on the increase in costs forecast as a result of the proposed application of VAT to alterations to listed buildings.

John Thurso: The House of Commons owns 11 listed buildings on the Parliamentary Estate and has one building (the Palace of Westminster) shared with the House of Lords. The following table shows the listed status and forecast expenditure for each of these buildings for the next three years. The figures are planned expenditure and are subject to the submission and approval of business cases. Expenditure includes all works planned by the Parliamentary Estates Directorate and includes VAT where appropriate. The figures include both capital and resource spending, and include contributions by the House of Lords towards shared costs.
	
		
			 £000 
			   Planned expenditure 
			 Building Listed status 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Palace of Westminster Grade 1 34,197 39,548 49,716 
			 Norman Shaw South Grade II* 91 1,062 394 
			 Norman Shaw North Grade 1 21 134 0 
			 1 Parliament Street (inc. 10-12 Bridge Street) Grade II 622 600 13,800 
			 1 Derby Gate Grade II* 63 1,262 0 
			 1 Canon Row Grade II* 766 10,521 600 
			 53 Parliament Street Grade II 3,889 3,405 0 
			 2 Parliament Street Grade II* 0 0 0 
			 2a Canon Row Grade II* 0 0 0 
			 2b Canon Row Grade II* 0 0 0 
			 3 Parliament Street Grade II* 0 0 0 
			 4 Canon Row Grade II* 0 0 0 
		
	
	These properties were not previously zero rated as they are not
	“intended for use solely for a relevant charitable purpose”
	(see Section 14.7, HMRC Notice 708) nor do they qualify as a relevant residential purpose within the meaning of Section 14.6 of HMRC Notice 708. The changes to VAT application will therefore not have any effect on forecast costs.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Kidnapping: Children

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many abductions and kidnappings of children were recorded by police forces in England and Wales in the last year for which data are available.

Nick Herbert: The police recorded crime data held by the Home Office shows that there were 545 recorded offences of child abduction in England and Wales in the 12 months to December 2011. These are offences under sections 1 and 2 of the Child Abduction Act 1984 (as amended by the Children's Act 1989).
	Where there is evidence that a child under 16 has been taken away unwillingly by the use of force (or fraud by another person), recording a common law offence of kidnapping will be considered. However, from the recorded crime statistics it is not possible to identify the age of the victim in kidnapping offences.

Police: Corruption

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will investigate whether police corruption hampered the investigation of the murder of Stephen Lawrence; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with the Metropolitan Police and the Independent Police Complaints Commission on whether police corruption hampered the investigation of the murder of Stephen Lawrence; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if she will discuss with Sir William Macpherson ways to ensure there is adequate public scrutiny of whether police corruption hampered the investigation of the murder of Stephen Lawrence; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 12 March 2012
	The allegations of police corruption in the investigation into Stephen Lawrence's murder have been brought to the attention of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May). She is currently considering how to respond.

TRANSPORT

Night Flying

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what restrictions are imposed on night flying by the Air Ambulance Service; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: Air ambulance flights come within the definition of commercial air transport. They have to comply with the requirements applicable to all commercial air transport operation. In addition, helicopter emergency medical services require a specific approval from the Civil Aviation Authority. There are no specific requirements relating to night flights by air ambulances.

Railways: Disability

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress she has made on requiring all rail vehicles to comply with disability access requirements; and whether she expects such compliance to be achieved by her 2020 target.

Norman Baker: Over 6,600 rail vehicles are in public transport use which were built or have been fully refurbished to modern access standards. This includes the majority of trams and almost half of all trains. Further details can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://assets.dft.gov.uk/topics/rail/rail-vehicles/accessibility-standards.xls
	It is for the rail industry to ensure that all passenger vehicles are accessible by the 2020 legal deadline. The Government remain committed to this date. The Department has given the industry clarity by indicating where work remains outstanding and reminding bidders of their obligations during the current franchise reletting programmes.

Railways: Tickets

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many rail ticket offices were closed between May 2005 and May 2010;
	(2)  how many rail ticket office closures were approved by Ministers in her Department between May 2005 and May 2010.

Norman Baker: Ministers in the last Administration approved reductions in ticket office opening hours under the Minor and Major Change procedures at approximately 300 stations. They approved closures of rail ticket offices between May 2005 and May 2010 as part of schemes which also led to the station being closed for use, as follows:
	As part of the construction of Liverpool South Parkway station, which has a ticket office, the stations and ticket offices at Allerton and Garston stations were closed.
	As part of the Thameslink Programme, the station and ticket office at Kings Cross Thameslink was closed and replaced by a new station with ticket office at St Pancras International.
	To enable the construction of a new Docklands Light Railway line, the stations and ticket offices at North Woolwich, Silvertown and Custom House were closed.

Rescue Services

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect the reorganisation of the Coastguard Service will have on the treatment of leisure craft.

Michael Penning: As in my answer of 12 March 2012, Official Report, column 23W, the modernisation of Her Majesty's Coastguard will not adversely affect the treatment of leisure craft.

Traffic Orders

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the level of expenditure on advertising traffic orders in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and (c) Leeds North West constituency.

Norman Baker: The consultation on amending requirements placed on traffic authorities when they propose and make temporary and permanent traffic orders has now closed.
	The consultation paper made reference to a report published by the UK Network Management Board and the results of a survey carried out in 2010 among traffic authorities about money spent on local newspaper advertising of traffic orders. No local authorities in Yorkshire or Leeds responded to the survey, so we have no information on their specific spend. However, the report considered responses received and estimated that at that time that £22.3 million was being spent annually in England on advertising traffic orders. This figure was adjusted to £20 million for consultation purposes due to changes that have already been made by the Highways Agency, which has already significantly reduced its spend in this area.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many live animals were transported to the UK for slaughter in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Paice: Trade statistics as gathered by HM Revenue and Customs are classified such that it is not always clear whether imported live animals are destined for slaughter or for the breeding herd/flock.
	Removing the cases where the animal is obviously intended for further breeding our best estimates for 2011 are as follows:
	
		
			 UK imports of live animals (excluding those specified as for breeding), 2011 
			   2011 
			 Type Country of dispatch £000 Head (thousand) 
			 Poultry Irish Republic 2,327 2,755 
			  France <0.5 <0.5 
			 Poultry total  2,327 2,755 
			     
			 Pigs Irish Republic 68,483 683 
			  Denmark 741 9 
			  France 170 2 
			  Netherlands 49 1 
			 Pigs total  69,443 696 
			     
			 Cattle/calves Irish Republic 25,480 29 
			  Netherlands 3 <0.5 
			 Cattle/calves total  25,483 29 
			     
			 Sheep Irish Republic <0.5 <0.5 
		
	
	
		
			 Sheep total  <0.5 <0.5 
			 Note: 2011 data is subject to amendments. Source: HM Revenue and Customs Data prepared by Trade Statistics, Economics and Statistics Programme, DEFRA 
		
	
	To put these figures into context, the total UK slaughter figures in 2011 were 915.76 million head for poultry, 10.06 million head for pigs, 2.84 million head for cattle and 14.48 million head for sheep. It is estimated that imports accounted for approximately 6% of total UK slaughter of pigs, 1% of cattle and less than 1% of both poultry and sheep.
	Note that the majority of livestock imports into the UK from the Republic of Ireland are where finished animals have been moved across the border into Northern Ireland for immediate slaughter.

Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to eradicate unnecessary suffering by animals transported to the UK for slaughter.

James Paice: The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency undertakes a risk based inspection regime on imports of livestock destined for slaughter. Local authorities may also undertake inspections of such import consignments. Any welfare infringement, including any case of unnecessary suffering, will result in the appropriate and proportionate regulatory or enforcement action being taken, which may include prosecution.

Animal Welfare: Slaughterhouses

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newport West of 14 December 2011, Official Report, column 787W, on animal welfare: slaughterhouses, if she will make it mandatory to install CCTV in slaughterhouses.

James Paice: Our review of the role CCTV can play in providing inconspicuous monitoring in slaughterhouses, including consideration of whether CCTV should be made mandatory, is continuing. We will be consulting on proposals to implement EC Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at killing, in England, over the next few months. This will include consideration of the role CCTV can play in meeting the new monitoring arrangements required by Regulation 1099/2009.

Badgers

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the National Farmers Union on the financial implications of cage-trapping badgers.

James Paice: The estimated costs and benefits for the two pilot badger culling areas are set out in our published Impact Assessment which is available on the DEFRA website:
	http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/diseases/atoz/tb/documents/bovine-tb-impact-assessment.pdf
	This includes the Government's cost estimates for both controlled shooting and cage-trapping and shooting. The farming industry has indicated that it believes it could deliver culling more cost-effectively.

Badgers

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consider altering her Department's approach to badger culling to require cage-trapping to be part of the process.

James Paice: Both cage-trapping and shooting and controlled shooting will be permitted under a badger control licence and it is likely that a licensee will use a mixture of both methods to carry out an effective cull.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the cost to farmers and to the public purse of vaccinating for bovine tuberculosis as opposed to culling.

James Paice: Estimates for the costs and benefits of different options, including vaccinating badgers, were published in the 2010 consultation stage impact assessment available on the DEFRA website:
	http://archive.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/tb-control-measures/100915-tb-control-measures-annexf.pdf

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the unit cost of badger vaccinations for the prevention of bovine tuberculosis.

James Paice: The wholesale price of the injectable badger vaccine (BadgerBCG) is currently £16.52 (plus VAT) per dose. However, this is only one element of the full cost of vaccinating badgers by injection, which includes surveying, trapping and vaccination by a trained and licensed individual. The full economic costs of vaccination were included in the 2010 consultation stage impact assessment available on the DEFRA website:
	http://archive.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/tb-control-measures/100915-tb-control-measures-annexf.pdf

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether badger vaccinations have any effect on those animals already infected with bovine TB.

James Paice: There is no scientific evidence that the injectable vaccine will benefit badgers that are already infected.

Horses: Tagging

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to ensure that all horses are micro-chipped and registered with an equine passport.

James Paice: The Horse Passport Regulations 2009 (which apply in England) require all horses to be issued with a passport. Under this legislation, all newly identified horses and foals born after 1 July 2009 must also be micro-chipped. Primary enforcement responsibility lies with local authorities.

Pigs: Animal Welfare

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans she has to require pig farmers to reduce the gaps in slatted floors to comply with new regulations;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the potential cost to pig farmers of reducing the gaps in slatted floors in order to comply with new regulations;
	(3)  what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the pig industry about proposed changes to the size of the gaps in slatted floors.

James Paice: I met with the pig industry in February to discuss the provisions in the pig welfare Council directive 2008/120/EC which apply to all holdings from 1 January 2013. The UK is already fully compliant with the key provision of the directive, namely the Sows Stalls ban. We are gathering information on the other technical provisions, such as gap widths used in concrete slatted flooring, in preparation for further discussions with the pig industry.

Pigs: Animal Welfare

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with her European counterparts on legislation banning sow stalls across the EU.

James Paice: Since the end of last year, the sow stall ban has been discussed on a number of occasions in Brussels at meetings of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health and at a meeting of chief veterinary officers. It is also on the agenda of this month's Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting on 26-27 April. The Commission is also seeking data on member states' progress in implementing the ban.
	Over the coming months we will continue to discuss progress with the implementation of the sow stall ban, with the Commission, and our European colleagues to keep the pressure up, so all countries meet the European ban on sow stalls by the deadline.

Rabbits: Animal Welfare

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's policy is on the regulation of the sourcing of rabbit meat from animals produced in industrial cages; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: Rabbits kept for meat production in cages or in other systems are protected by the general provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which makes it an offence to cause suffering to an animal. In addition, the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 lays down requirements in respect of general welfare, inspection, housing and feeding for all farm animals and includes a section specifically to protect the welfare of rabbits kept for the production of food.

Shellfish: Animal Welfare

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has had any meetings with representatives of animal welfare groups to discuss the potential for bringing forward new regulations governing the slaughter of crustaceans; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: No meetings have been held on this subject with animal welfare groups.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Addison Lee

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with John Griffin of Addison Lee since 12 May 2010.

Bob Neill: holding answer 23 April 2012
	Details of ministerial and Permanent Secretary meetings with external organisations and individuals are published on a quarterly basis. For the avoidance of doubt, no Ministers, special advisers or the Permanent Secretary have had departmental meetings with John Griffin since 12 May 2010. Details of officials' meetings with external organisations and individuals are not collated centrally and to do so would entail disproportionate cost.

Building Regulations

Nick Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Cabinet Committee approved the decision to hold a Government Consultation on proposed changes to Part L of the Building Regulations. [R]

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 23 April 2012
	A package of proposals for changes to the building regulations (including, but not limited to, part L Conservation of Fuel and Power) was published on 31 January 2012. The consultation package was approved for publication following collective agreement across government. The Government will publish their response to the consultation in due course
	I also refer the right hon. Member to paragraph 2.3 of the Ministerial Code, which states:
	“The internal process through which a decision has been made, or the level of Committee by which it was taken should not be disclosed.”

Debt Collection

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on plans by councils to charge bailiff companies an administration fee for transferring to them Penalty Charge Notice warrants and to retain a percentage of bailiffs' gross fees and charges raised under the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 and Non-Domestic Rating (Collection and Enforcement) (Local Lists) regulations 1989; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 January 2012, Official Report, columns 402-03W, to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Austin Mitchell).

Homes and Communities Agency

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what recent advice he has given to the Homes and Communities Agency over the naming of housing developments on land owned or controlled by the Agency;
	(2)  if he will seek an explanation from the Homes and Communities Agency over its naming policy for new roads on the former Severalls Hospital site at Colchester; what discussions the Agency has had with (a) Myland community council and (b) Colchester borough council on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The naming of housing developments, including roads, on land owned or controlled by the Homes and Communities Agency is not something that the Agency takes decisions on, it is a matter for local councils. As part of this, councils will often consult and receive views from local partners and community groups. And this is something that we would encourage more generally as part of involving local people in shaping development in their area.
	In the case of the former Severalls hospital site, I understand that the Agency, along with others, did approach Colchester borough council about the naming of the roads, and that the decision on naming was made by Colchester borough council.

Housing: Disabled

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many housing adaptations were carried out in England and Wales in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 to date; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much each local authority spent on housing adaptations in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The Disabled Facilities Grant plays a crucial role in maintaining the independence of many disabled people. The grant funds adaptations to help disabled people to live as independently as possible in their homes. Local authorities deliver adaptations under the Disabled Facilities Grant in line with their statutory duties. The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold specific information on the number of adaptations carried out or their cost. This Government have been clear that local authorities should be freed up from central control and monitoring. However, DCLG has secured £725 million for the grant in the 2010 spending review for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15. In 2011-12 the annual allocation for the grant rose to £180 million, an increase of £11 million compared to the 2010-11 budget of £169 million. The allocation for the grant will increase further to £185 million by the end of the spending review (2014-15). In January 2012, the Government invested an extra £20 million for the disabled facilities grant bringing the total grant in 2011-12 to £200 million.

Housing: Energy

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to announce a decision on (a) allowable solutions and (b) fabric energy efficiency standards in respect of zero-carbon homes.

Andrew Stunell: The Government are continuing to consider their policy on allowable solutions in respect of zero carbon homes and will make an announcement in due course. The current consultation on proposals to change Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) of the Building Regulation in 2013 seeks views on how the fabric energy efficiency standard could be incorporated within Part L. That consultation closes on 27 April and the Government will announce its conclusions in due course once responses have been considered.

Incinerators: Nottinghamshire

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has received an environmental impact assessment in respect of the incinerator at Elkesley in Nottinghamshire.

Bob Neill: An environmental impact statement in support of proposals for the construction and operation of a biomass fuelled combined heat and power plant in Elkesley was received by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), from Nottinghamshire county council on 16 July 2010. The proposal is still at a relatively early stage and an application for planning permission for this development has yet to be considered by the county planning authority.

Legal Costs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on fees for legal work in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The departmental spend on legal work was (a) £2,360,000 in financial year 2010-11 and (b) £2,002,000 in financial year 2011-12.
	The spend includes litigation fees paid to the Treasury Solicitors Department, counsel and solicitors fees for legal advice, and payments to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel.
	The comparable spend in 2009-10 was £4.8 million. I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, columns 482-83W, which outlines the number of cases open at any one time and the nature of Government litigation, reflecting the Department's quasi-judicial functions.
	Details of all expenditure over £500 are published, each month, on the Department's website. Legal advice is coded under “Legal Consultancy” and “Legal Fees”.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/transparencyingovernment/spenddata/

Planning Permission

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role the community will have in developing local development plans under the National Planning Policy Framework.

Greg Clark: The requirement to involve communities in the planning of their communities is set out in primary legislation. A local planning authority is obliged to prepare a statement of community involvement setting out how it will involve interested parties in developing their local plan. Further regulations require councils to consult local people early in the process on what their plan should contain, as well as consulting them on the draft that the authority propose to submit for examination.
	The Localism Act gives communities new powers to plan for the future of their areas through neighbourhood planning.
	The National Planning Policy Framework provides a framework within which local people and their councils can produce their own distinctive local and neighbourhood plans, which reflect the needs and priorities of their communities. The Framework is clear that local councils should proactively engage a wide section of the community in plan making, and that early and meaningful engagement and collaboration with neighbourhoods, local organisations and businesses is essential.

Planning Permission

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the performance of Planning Aid England in relation to communities on neighbourhood planning; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the effectiveness of organisations such as Planning Aid in supporting communities to take a role in planning their areas.

Greg Clark: Planning Aid, through the Royal Town Planning Institute, is one of the four support organisations currently funded as part of the Supporting Communities in Neighbourhood Planning scheme. Their effectiveness in supporting communities is assessed as part of the monitoring of the grant agreement that the Department for Communities and Local Government has with them.

Planning Permission

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to complete his review of the supporting communities in neighbourhood planning programme; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: The Department of Communities and Local Government is currently looking at the support needed by communities for neighbourhood planning. As part of this we are looking at the support provided to communities through the Supporting Communities in Neighbourhood Planning programme. We will set out our conclusions shortly.

Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many contracts his Department had with (a) Capita and (b) Serco in the last 12 months.

Bob Neill: In the last 12 months my Department has had one contract with (a) Capita which we use as an agency with respect to interim staff engagement and one contract with (b) Serco in relation to the closure of the Homeowner Mortgage Support scheme web portal.

Public Sector: Land

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice has been given to the holders of surplus public sector land about the process to be used in disposing of it, including in respect of EU rules.

Grant Shapps: The Government are committed to accelerating the release of surplus public sector land, and each Department is responsible for their land release. They have specialist teams to manage this and consider any site specific procurement issues. All Departments are required to obtain best consideration for their disposals within the current market conditions as set out in “Managing Public Money” (HM Treasury).
	I also refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell), on 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 511W, which sets out some of the support we are providing to Departments. This includes guidance on the use of Build Now, Pay Later, which is available on the Homes and Communities Agency's website:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/ourwork/build-now-pay-later-guidance
	How and when this support is used is a matter for each Department.
	Next month I will be publishing a progress report setting out further details about the public land programme, including how we will accelerate disposals and the support available. A copy of this report will be placed in the Library of the House.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department provides to local authorities to assist with the costs of creating temporary Traveller sites.

Andrew Stunell: Temporary and transit Traveller sites are eligible for funding under the £60 million Traveller Pitch Funding programme administered by the Homes and Communities Agency. A total of £3.15 million was allocated in January 2012 for this purpose.

Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's public health guidance 37, Identifying and managing tuberculosis among hard-to-reach groups, published in March 2012, if he will make tuberculosis patients who are rough sleepers a priority need group for housing.

Grant Shapps: The Housing Act 1996 places a statutory duty on local housing authorities to secure accommodation where an applicant is homeless through no fault of their own, eligible for assistance and is in priority need. The priority need categories include people who are vulnerable as a result of old age, mental illness or physical disability. Local authorities provide a range of emergency accommodation and priority will be determined locally.
	In a small number of cases, local national health service organisations may assist in the provision of temporary accommodation for individuals diagnosed with tuberculosis who are not eligible for local authority funded accommodation so that treatment can be completed and lengthy in-patient stays avoided. As part of the proposed model of care for tuberculosis services in London, the NHS in London is considering establishing a pan-London protocol and fund to deal with such cases.
	New guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on identifying and managing tuberculosis in hard to reach groups recommends that local. NHS and partner organisations should collaborate to provide accommodation for homeless people diagnosed with active pulmonary tuberculosis irrespective of their eligibility.
	I have provided an additional £70 million to tackle and prevent rough sleeping. This includes:
	£20 million—Homelessness Transition Fund to support the roll out of No Second Night Out and protect vital front line services.
	£20 million—Single Homelessness Prevention Fund to help ensure single homeless people get access to good housing advice.
	£5 million boost to the Homelessness Change Programme (bringing the total investment to £42.5 million) to deliver improved hostel provision and provide over 1,500 new and improved bed spaces.
	£5 million—Social Impact Bond—using a payment by results model to help persistent rough sleepers in London. This is the first Social Impact Bond set up to tackle homelessness in the world.
	This comes on top of the existing £400 million homelessness grant this Government have protected over the next four years.
	The Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness which I chair, has pledged that for the first time no one should ever need to experience a second night sleeping rough. My colleague the Minister of State, Department of Health, the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow), represents the Department of Health for the Group.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Council Tax Benefits

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in each local authority are employed and in receipt of council tax benefit.

Steve Webb: A copy of the available information has been placed in the House Library.

Council Tax Benefits

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department paid to each local authority which processes claims for council tax benefit to reimburse the authority for correctly processed claims in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The amount of subsidy paid to each local authority for correctly paid council tax benefit claims for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11 is set out in tables which I have placed in the House Library.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 255W, on employment schemes, whether he has any plans to repeat the one-off exercise to determine the proportion of work programme attachments which are referred to the tier 1 and tier 2 voluntary sector organisations.

Chris Grayling: The Department plans to repeat the one-off exercise in due course as part of our overall plans on release of Work programme information.
	Official statistics on referrals and attachments to the Work programme were released on 21 February 2012 and are available on the Department's website:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wp

Foreign Workers

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's policy is on offshoring of jobs by its contracted companies; what discussions he had with Accenture and IBM of offshoring prior to awarding the contract for the universal credit IT system; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Department's policy on proposals by its contracted companies to carry out work internationally is that all such proposals are required to demonstrate compliance with a number of key criteria, before they are formally considered for approval by the Department. These criteria include evidence that the proposal is financially beneficial to the taxpayer and that it meets stringent security standards. In assessing financial benefit to the taxpayer, the Department considers the impact on UK jobs. Since May 2010, the Department has only accepted proposals from its suppliers to carry out work internationally that meet these criteria, and it has not accepted any proposals that would result in the loss of existing jobs within the UK.

Foreign Workers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 249W, on contracts for services, how many offshoring proposals meeting the criteria his Department has accepted since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: Five DWP suppliers have submitted offshoring proposals meeting the criteria since ay 2010.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) absolute and (b) percentage change was in the number of local housing allowance claimants who were in work in each local authority area between May 2010 and January 2012.

Steve Webb: A copy of the available information has been placed in the Library.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency currently claim jobseeker's allowance; and how many former claimants in Motherwell have found employment through the Access to Work scheme since its introduction.

Maria Miller: At March 2012 there were 3,886 claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency. Since 1 April 2007(1) and up to 31 December 2011, 30 former claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency have started the Access to Work scheme(2).
	(1) Access to Work data are only available from 1 April 2007 onwards.
	(2) Source: Access to Work database, 100% WPLS and NOMIS claimant count. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Motability

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the number of disabled people who will lose motability vehicles under personal independence payment rollout plans.

Maria Miller: ‘Personal Independence Payment: Assessment Thresholds and Consultation’ was published in January 2012, and can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-assessment-thresholds-and-consultation.pdf
	It included early estimates on the potential reduction in the number of higher rate mobility component recipients of disability living allowance, aged between 16 and 64, in 2015-16. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	We are continuing to work closely with Motability to understand what impact personal independence payment roll-out plans might have on their customer numbers and to ensure Motability are well placed to manage the introduction of the new benefit.

Remploy

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of his Department's liability for redundancy payments consequent upon the planned closures of each Remploy factory.

Maria Miller: The Remploy board started collective consultation on 19 March 2012 on the proposed closure of 36 factories the board considers are unlikely to achieve independent financial viability. As part of collective consultation, the Remploy board will consider all proposals to avoid compulsory redundancy. The Remploy board will also consider ways of mitigating the consequences of redundancy dismissals, including redundancy payments and the comprehensive personal package of support which would be made available to any Remploy employee who is, in the event, made redundant.
	The redundancy terms that will be offered to any Remploy employee who is, in the event, made redundant are under discussion as part of the collective consultation process between Remploy and employee representatives. Estimates made of the cost of redundancy should not be released before final agreement has been reached between Remploy and trade unions on the terms that will be offered as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of Remploy while in negotiations.
	It is important to be absolutely clear that all decisions about proposed factory closures and redundancies are subject to this ongoing collective consultation process and that no final decisions have been made about these matters.

Remploy

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what subsidiary businesses Remploy operates in Scotland.

Maria Miller: Remploy does not have any subsidiary businesses in Scotland. The company operations are UK wide with the core Remploy businesses in Scotland being health care, social enterprises, local public sales, textiles and Workscope.

Remploy

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any of the Remploy factories earmarked for closure were funded through the private finance initiative.

Maria Miller: Remploy is not funded through the private finance initiative. Remploy is an executive non-departmental public body and a public corporation. It is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. It receives grant in aid each year in exchange for delivering a range of employment and development opportunities for disabled people under the Government's Work Choice programme.

Remploy

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of service is of staff employed by Remploy factories at each of its locations in Scotland.

Maria Miller: The average length of service of staff employed by Remploy factories at each of its locations in Scotland is listed in the following table:
	
		
			 Site Average of length of service (years) 
			 Aberdeen 25 
			 Clydebank 20 
			 Cowdenbeath 18 
			 Dundee 15 
			 Edinburgh 16 
			 Lanarkshire 20 
			 Leven 19 
			 Springburn 21 
			 Stirling 16 
			 Note: These figures have been supplied by Remploy.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) civil servants and (b) senior civil servants have retired from his Department since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The following information relates to the number of civil servants that have retired from DWP since 1 May 2010, up to and including 31 March 2012.
	
		
			 Retirements 
			  Number 
			 All civil servants (excluding senior civil servants) 2,709 
			 Senior civil servants 9 
			 Overall total 2,718

Social Security Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what analysis his Department has conducted on the movement of benefit units from one local authority to another each month; and if he will take steps to make this data publicly available.

Steve Webb: The Department has commissioned a consortium of academics and research organisations led by Ian Cole, professor of housing studies at Sheffield Hallam university to undertake an independent review of the impact of changes to the local housing allowance system of housing benefit.
	One element of the research is a spatial analysis of the effects of the changes that will examine movement from one local authority to another. The results of this analysis are expected to be available towards the end of 2012.
	The Department of Communities and Local Government, The Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government are working in close partnership with the DWP and contributing to the costs of the review.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what changes have been made to the ESA 50 form following the recommendations on mental, intellectual and cognitive function contained in Professor Harrington's second independent review of the Work Capability Assessment;
	(2)  whether his Department consulted the Disability Benefits Consortium on changes to the ESA 50 form following the recommendations on mental, intellectual and cognitive function contained in Professor Harrington's second independent review of the Work Capability Assessment.

Chris Grayling: We made major changes to the ESA50 form in April 2011 as a result of the Department-led internal review, as well as the first Harrington Review, in cooperation with medical experts, disabled people's groups and claimants.
	These included changing all the form's descriptors and encouraging claimants to submit medical evidence with their forms, as well as improving the wording in general. We also made the form available online at Directgov.
	Since October 2011 the Department has also been working closely with disability organisations such as Mind, Mencap, the NAS and others since to improve the ESA50 form further, especially with regards to how the form assesses mental function. We have received a number of recommendations from these organisations which the Department is considering.
	No further changes to the form have yet been formally agreed, as our review is still ongoing. We are also planning further work with some of the other disability organisations which provided specific reports for Professor Harrington as part of his second review. We have not consulted with the Disability Benefits Consortium as part of this.

State Retirement Pensions

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of increasing the state pension by £10 a week if the payment was (a) tax free and not taken into account for income-related benefits, (b) taxable but not taken into account for income-related benefits and (c) taxable and counted as income for the purposes of income-related benefits.

Steve Webb: The net costs to the public purse of increasing the basic state pension by £10 a week are estimated to be:
	
		
			 2012-13 
			  £ billion 
			 (a) Tax free and not taken into account for income-related benefits 5.3 
			 (b) Taxable but not taken into account for income-related benefits 4.6 
			 (c) Taxable and counted as income for the purposes of income-related benefits 3.7 
			 Notes: 1. Estimates given show the additional spend due to increasing the basic state pension by £10 in 2012-13. Part (b) includes savings from taxing the £10 increase, resulting in lower net spend. Part (c) includes savings from taxing the £10 increase and savings from reduced income related benefit payments (including pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit, working tax credits and child tax credits), further reducing net spend. 2. The basic state pension is normally taxable and taken into account for income related benefit payments. 3. Part (a) has been estimated using the DWP Forecasting model. Parts (b) and (c) have been estimated using the Department's Policy Simulation Model. 4. Net costs for 2012-13 have been presented, however increasing the basic state pension by £10 in 2012-13 will have substantial knock on effects for spending in future years. 5. Figures shown are against a baseline of current policy spend based on April 2012 benefit rates. 6. Estimates are in 2012-13 prices, have been rounded to the nearest £100 million and are for Great Britain. Source: DWP Forecasting model and Policy Simulation Model

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he expects to require evidence documents from applicants for universal credit to be provided by post or in person; and, if in person, where applicants will be required to attend.

Chris Grayling: My Department will require certain evidence from claimants to support their universal credit claim. It is likely that claimants will be offered a variety of options to provide the required evidence and the specific details are currently being developed.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how universal credit will be paid to people without a bank account.

Chris Grayling: The majority of UC payments will be made directly into a bank account or similar alternative product.
	We recognise that some claimants do not currently have access to a mainstream bank account. We are working with a range of providers to make financial services more accessible to low income households.
	For those claimants unable to access an account we will continue to ensure that alternative methods of payment are available.

Work Capability Assessment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Coventry have undergone a work capability assessment to date.

Chris Grayling: In the Coventry local authority area 5,760 people have undergone an initial work capability assessment (WCA) as part of a new claim for employment and support allowance (ESA) between October 2008 and the end of August 2011, the latest data available.
	Note that this figure only covers new claims to ESA and excludes claimants moving to ESA as part of the Incapacity Benefit Reassessment programme. The department will be publishing data on the outcomes of IB Reassessment claims at the regional and local authority level on 20 April 2012.
	The Department regularly publishes data on ESA and the WCA. The latest publication was released in January and can be found on the departmental website here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
	This information is taken from administrative data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. Note that figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Work Capability Assessment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to the public purse has been of work capability assessments carried out in Coventry in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Work capability assessments are undertaken by healthcare professionals working for Atos Healthcare on behalf of the Department. Financial data is not held for individual geographical areas or individual medical examination centres.
	This medical services contract will in due course be re-let by means of a competitive procurement exercise. Releasing details of Atos Healthcare's underlying financial model would be likely to prejudice their commercial interests.
	The Department has balanced the public interest in withholding the information against the public interest in disclosing the information and considers that release of the information would prejudice the interest of Atos Healthcare and the Department's future dealings with Atos Healthcare or other service providers.

Work Capability Assessment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact assessment his Department has carried out on the extent to which the work capability assessment is able to meet the needs of people with mental health problems.

Chris Grayling: Prior to the implementation of the department-led review of the work capability assessment (WCA), an impact assessment was undertaken to assess whether the proposed changes would help in correctly identifying an individual's capability for work.
	In particular, this was to assess proposals for the expansion of the support group for claimants who have certain communication difficulties and severe mental health conditions. The impact assessment can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wca-ia-eia.pdf
	Furthermore, as part of his second independent review of the WCA Professor Harrington worked with Mind, Mencap and the National Autistic Society to review and recommend improvements to the mental, intellectual and cognitive descriptors. Professor Harrington agreed with the Government that further evidence is required to establish whether the charities' proposed descriptors would make the assessment more accurate; we are currently investigating how to build up such an evidence base.

Work Capability Assessment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals have been made in Coventry against a decision to remove benefit as a result of a work capability assessment; and how many such appeals have been upheld in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: In the period between October 2008 and November 2010 1,150 appeals have been heard on employment support allowance (ESA) fit for work decisions in the Coventry local authority area. In 380 cases Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) found in the favour of the claimant and in the remaining 770 cases the original decision was upheld.
	Note:
	Appeals against incapacity benefit reassessment claims are not included in these figures;
	The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA). The latest publication was released in January 2012 and can be found on the departmental website here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
	Numbers above have been rounded to the nearest 10.

CABINET OFFICE

Charities

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to make provision for the status of charitable incorporated organisations.

Nick Hurd: I hope to be able to lay the relevant orders early in the new parliamentary session. Commencement will be subject to the parliamentary approval.

Contracts for Services

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of public sector jobs outsourced by each Government department since May 2010.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office does not hold centrally the number of civil service or wider public sector jobs which have been outsourced since May 2010. This is a matter for individual Departments.

Deaths: Asbestos

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many people have died as a result of asbestosis following exposure to asbestos in (a) Wrexham constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK in each year since 2005;
	(2)  how many people have died of mesothelioma in (a) Wrexham constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK in each year since 2005.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking:
	1. How many people have died of asbestosis in (a) Wrexham constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK in each year since 2005 (105339)
	2. How many people have died of mesothelioma in (a) Wrexham constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK in each year since 2005 (105340)
	The following table provides the number of deaths registered where the underlying cause of death was either: (1) pneumoconiosis due to asbestos and other mineral fibres (therefore including asbestosis) or (2) mesothelioma in Wrexham constituency, Wales and the United Kingdom, between 2005 and 2010 (the latest year available).
	
		
			 Number of deaths where asbestosis or mesothelioma was the underlying cause of death, Wrexham parliamentary constituency, Wales and the United Kingdom, 2005-10 (1, 2, 3, 4) 
			 Persons 
			   2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Wrexham Pneumoconiosis due to asbestos and other mineral fibres 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  Mesothelioma 4 1 1 0 3 2 
		
	
	
		
			 Wales Pneumoconiosis due to asbestos and other mineral fibres 6 5 7 1 13 8 
			  Mesothelioma 73 76 87 96 103 95 
			 UK Pneumoconiosis due to asbestos and other mineral fibres 141 145 144 147 217 194 
			  Mesothelioma 1,934 2,005 2,032 2,160 2,293 2,291 
			 (1) Underlying cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (tCD-10) code C45 Mesothelioma; J61 Pneumoconiosis due to asbestos and other mineral fibres. (2) Figures for the UK are based on the final underlying cause of death. Figures for Wales and Wrexham are based on original underlying cause of death. (3) Figures for Wales and Wrexham exclude deaths of non-residents. Figures for the UK include deaths of non-residents. (4) Figures are based on deaths registered in each calendar year. Source: Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

Divorce

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of married couples divorce when at the time of divorce the husband is aged between (a) 20 and 29, (b) 30 and 39, (c) 40 and 49, (d) 50 and 59, (e) 60 and 69, (f) 70 and 79 and (g) 80 and 89.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to asking what proportion of married couples divorce when at the time of divorce the husband is aged between (a) 20 and 29, (b) 30 and 39, (c) 40 and 49, (d) 50 and 59, (e) 60 and 69, (f) 70 and 79 and (g) 80 and 89 (105260).
	Table 1 shows the percentage of divorces in England and Wales by the age group of the husband at divorce in 2010, the latest year for which figures are available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Percentage of divorces by age group of husband, 2010 
			 Age group Percentage 
			 20-29 6.6 
			 30-39 30.1 
			 40-49 37.0 
			 50-59 18.8 
			 60-69 6.4 
			 70-79 1.0 
			 80-89 0.1 
			 Total 100.0 
			 Note: Less than 0.1 per cent of divorces were to husbands aged under 20 or over 89.

Electronic Government

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the ability of government websites to withstand distributed denial of service cyber attacks.

Francis Maude: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The Government take the threat of cyber attacks very seriously which is why we have allocated new funding of £650 million over four years to respond effectively to threats from cyberspace through the National Cyber Security programme.
	In relation to a recent spate of distributed denial of service attacks, Government Departments have been issued with an advisory note through GovCert UK (the Government Computer Emergency. Response Team) which reiterates guidance on appropriate defensive measures against DDoS attacks and the response procedures.
	This complements the ongoing and routine support that CESG (the Information Assurance Arm of GCHG) provides to Government Departments on how to protect against detect and mitigate various types of cyber attack.
	Government Departments are required to adhere to the Security Policy Framework which sets out the minimum requirements for protective security policy across Government including a section on information security and assurance.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 733W, on the third sector, how much direct funding his Department provided to each civil society organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how much it plans to provide in 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 October 2011, Official Report, columns 733-34W, for figures for 2010-11.
	A list of direct net grants to organisations for 2011-12 (not including funds passed to arm’s length bodies to distribute as grant funding on behalf of the Cabinet Office) is shown in the following table. These figures are subject to audit.
	Plans for 2012-13 are yet to be finalised.
	
		
			 Funding to civil society organisations in 2011-12 (1) 
			 Organisation Grant funding (£) 
			 Academy of Youth Ltd t/a University of First Age 49,018 
			 Acevo 415,000 
			 Age UK 37,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Arts and Business 37,000 
			 Bolton Lads and Girls Club 406,413 
			 BSB 42 Ltd 1,627,736 
			 Business in the Community 272,642 
			 Catch22 Charity Ltd 2,318,005 
			 Changemakers 85,877 
			 Citizenship Foundation 300,000 
			 Community Foundation Network 1,580,000 
			 Community Foundation Network Secret Millionaire Match Fund 250,000 
			 Community Matters 100,000 
			 Community Service Volunteers CVS 5,000 
			 Connexions Cumbria 825,050 
			 Envision 148,415 
			 Field Studies Council 295,013 
			 Future Foundations 241,874 
			 Fylde Coast YMCA 44,332 
			 Giving.Com Ltd 500,000 
			 Global Action Plan 63,765 
			 Groundwork UK 58,184 
			 Groundwork West Midlands 33,680 
			 Institute of Fundraising 275,000 
			 Jewish Lads and Girls Brigade 54,016 
			 Luton Culture 57,264 
			 Media Trust 230,000 
			 Mitzvah Day 30,000 
			 National Council for Voluntary Organisations 850,000 
			 National Youth Agency 268,775 
			 NAVCA 345,000 
			 New College Nottingham 151,421 
			 New Philanthropy Capital 100,000 
			 Norwich City Community Sports Foundation 346,657 
			 Partnership Network Ltd 74,192 
			 Petroc 181,883 
			 Safe in Tees Valley 1,347,007 
			 Salford Foundation 81,035 
			 School for Social Entrepreneurs 315,000 
			 Sefton Council for Voluntary Service 84,102 
			 Social Enterprise Coalition 500,000 
			 Sporttrain Wales Ltd 166,310 
			 Streetsmart 220,000 
			 The Challenge Network 7,141,399 
			 The Football League Community Ltd 1,685,985 
			 The Join in Trust Ltd 512,464 
			 The Lincolnshire and Rutland EBP 250,493 
			 The National Coaching Foundation Sports Coach UK 36,950 
			 The Princes Trust 1,010,228 
			 Transitions Plus UK Ltd 175,223 
			 Urban Forum 60,000 
			 V 3,052,421 
			 Voice4change England Ltd 80,000 
			 Volunteering England 577,824 
			 Womens Resource Centre 57,000 
			 Workality CIC 350,000 
			 Young Devon 1,266,445 
			 Young Lives 42,244 
			 Your Consortium Ltd 47,827 
			 Youthnet UK 700,000 
			 Grand total 32,418,169 
			 (1) Subject to audit.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Addison Lee

Maria Eagle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Office have had with John Griffin of Addison Lee since 12 May 2010.

Nicholas Clegg: I have not held any meetings with John Griffin since 12 May 2010. My special advisers and private office officials have also not held any such meetings.

Peter Cruddas

Ian Lavery: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings (a) he, (b) his special advisers and (c) officials in his office have had with Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010.

Nicholas Clegg: I have not held any meetings with Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010. My special advisers and private office officials have also not held any such meetings.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Political Parties

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to publish the results of his meetings with party leaders in Northern Ireland on how to deal with the past.

Owen Paterson: Since May 2010 the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), and I have undertaken a wide range of meetings involving political parties, community organisations, academics and victims groups on this matter.
	I continue to meet political party representatives and interested groups to seek their views on how consensus on this difficult issue might be achieved. While the Government have a role to play, any successful outcome will only be possible if agreement is found from within Northern Ireland. At present it is clear that no such consensus on a way forward exists.

EDUCATION

Adoption: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were in foster care waiting for adoption in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: The information requested for Birmingham local authority can be found in the following tables. Information at constituency level is not available.
	The decision that a looked after child should be placed for adoption is made by the local authority but the local authority cannot actually place the child with prospective adopters without either a placement order or parental consent (depending on the individual circumstances of the case).
	Information about the decision that a child should be placed for adoption has only been collected for all looked after children, for whom the decision was made, since 2009. Previously, this information was only given when the child had been adopted. Consequently, the number of children waiting for adoption can be provided only for the last three years.
	
		
			 Looked after children for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption while placed in foster care, who were then placed for adoption, adopted, had the decision that they should be placed for adoption reversed or who were still waiting to be adopted at 31 March (1,2,3,4) , years ending 31 March 2009 to 2011, coverage: Birmingham 
			 Number 
			   Year in which the child was placed for adoption, adopted, for whom the decisi on was reversed or was waiting t o be adopted 
			   2009 
			 Year in which the decision was made that the child should be placed for adoption Number  of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption Number  of children placed for adoption Number  of children adopted Number  for whom the decision was reversed Number  who ceased to be looked after for another reason (5) Number  at 31 March awaiting adoption (6) 
			 2009 105 10 0 * * 100 
			 2010 110 n/a n/a n/a — n/a 
			 2011 130 n/a n/a n/a — n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 Number 
			   Year in which the child was placed for adoption, adopted, for whom the decisi on was reversed or was waiting t o be adopted 
			   2010 
			 Year in which the decision was made that the child should be placed for adoption Number  of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption Number  of children placed for adoption Number  of children adopted Number  for whom the decision was reversed Number  who ceased to be looked after for another reason (5) Number  at 31 March awaiting adoption (6) 
			 2009 105 45 15 10 10 70 
			 2010 110 10 0 * * 105 
			 2011 130 n/a n/a n/a — n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 Number 
			   Year in which the child was placed for adoption, adopted, for whom the decisi on was reversed or was waiting t o be adopted 
			   2011 
			 Year in which the decision was made that the child should be placed for adoption N umber  of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption Number  of children placed for adoption Number  of children adopted Number  for whom the decision was reversed Number  who ceased to be looked after for another reason (5) Number  at 31 March awaiting adoption (6) 
			 2009 105 15 40 5 * 30 
			 2010 110 50 30 10 10 60 
			 2011 130 10 * * * 125 
			 * = Figures not shown in order to protect confidentiality. n/a = Not applicable. (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Consequently, the figures may not add up. For confidentiality purposes, numbers from one to five inclusive have been replaced by an asterisk (*). Where any number is shown as zero (0), the original figure submitted was zero (0). (2) Only children looked after in a foster care placement when the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption have been counted. (3) For children living with the family intending to adopt them (i.e. placed for adoption), it is for the prospective adopters to apply to court for an adoption order. (4) Children waiting to be placed for adoption may either be waiting for a placement order to be made by the court or be in the process of being matched with prospective adopters. (5) Children who ceased to be looked after for reasons other than adoption e.g. returned to live with parents, residence order, special guardianship (decision to place for adoption had not been recorded as reversed), (6) The number of children at 31 March awaiting adoption is calculated as the total number of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption, minus the total number of children who were adopted, for whom the decision was reversed or ceased to be looked after for another reason. The number includes children who have been placed for adoption, but for whom an adoption order has not yet been made, as well as children who have not yet been placed. Source: SSDA 303 
		
	
	Information on adopted children can be found in the Statistical First Release 'Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011', which is available on the Department's website via the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml

Child Rearing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department holds any information on the amount of time a (a) father and (b) mother interacted with their children on a daily basis in (i) 1982, (ii) 1992, (iii) 2002 and (iv) 2012.

Sarah Teather: The Department does not hold any information on the amount of time fathers and mothers interacted with their children over the last 30 years.
	A recent study by Dr Oriel Sullivan at the University of Oxford reported that the time parents spend with their children has increased over a 25-year period. Mothers spent the most time with children, spending between 51 to 86 minutes a day in 2000 compared with eight to 21 minutes in 1975. The figures showed fathers also spent more time with their children than their fathers did. Fathers spent between 32 to 36 minutes a day with their children in 2000 compared with between three to eight minutes in 1975.
	The study also found that more parents were reading to their sons and daughters, as well as visiting child-friendly attractions.
	The research team analysed thousands of time diaries written by UK families. The journals, from 1975 and 2000, were kept by parents with children under the age of 18 in their household. A copy of the report is available here:
	http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2010/paren100407.html

Children: Armed Forces

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on what dates Ministers in his Department had meetings with their counterparts in the Ministry of Defence to discuss the service premium between 13 February and 17 April 2012.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 23 April 2012
	None of the Department for Education Ministers had meetings to discuss the service premium with their counterparts in the Ministry of Defence during this period.

Curriculum: Sustainable Development

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, column 1014W, on sustainable development, what consideration he has given to the recommendation by the Expert Panel for the National Curriculum Review that the curriculum should promote understanding of sustainability in the stewardship of resources locally, nationally and globally.

Nick Gibb: The report of Expert Panel for the National Curriculum review, published on 19 December, includes a number of recommendations on the shape and design of the National Curriculum. These include the use of curriculum aims to promote an understanding of sustainability in the stewardship of resources through the school curriculum.
	We are currently considering the panel's recommendations, and seeking views from stakeholders. We will announce our response shortly.

Dyslexia

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the Fast ForWord teaching programme for dyslexics.

Sarah Teather: The Department for Education has made no formal, recent evaluation of the Fast ForWord programme.
	It is for individual schools to determine the most appropriate interventions for their pupils. To support schools the Department is funding the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust to provide information and advice on effective approaches to teaching dyslexic pupils. The Department also funds the National Association of Special Educational Needs (Nasen) to provide similar advice and information across the range of special educational needs.

Free School Meals

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 436W, on free school meals, when the table containing information on the proportion of children receiving free school meals in each free school will be placed in the Library.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 20 February 2012
	The requested information was placed in the House Libraries on 17 April.

Free Schools

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the catchment areas of those independent schools that have adopted free school status.

Nick Gibb: All free schools, including independent schools which adopt free school status, must comply with the Schools Admission Code and operate admission arrangements which are fair, not complex and enable the majority of places to be accessed by children from the local area. All admission arrangements, including proposed catchment areas, are assessed before a funding agreement is signed to ensure they comply with the Schools Admissions Code.

Free Schools

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many free schools he expects to open in September 2013.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The application round for groups hoping to open free schools in 2013 and beyond closed in February this year. The applications are currently being assessed and the results will be announced by the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), in the summer.
	The successful applications will join nine schools that are already in pre-opening phase and due to open in September 2013.

Park Lane School: Halifax

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will allocate funding to assist Park Lane School in Halifax to build a new sixth form centre.

Nick Gibb: Capital funding is currently directed toward the Government's key priorities of supporting local authorities to provide pupil places and to provide funding to support the maintenance of the school estate. As such capital funding from the Department for Education is currently not available to support the creation of new school sixth forms, such as at Park Lane School in Halifax. We have made available a budget of up to £44 million to support the creation of new post-16 places where there is a basic need due to demographic pressures but, in general, should a school wish to extend its offer and open a sixth form then it would be required to this without capital funding from this Department.

Pre-school Education

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the level of educational development of three year-olds in each of the last 10 years; and how much funding his Department has allocated to the education of children aged under three in each such year.

Sarah Teather: The Department does not assess annually the educational development of three-year-olds. However, various assessments of the cognitive development of three-year-olds have been undertaken as part of research and evaluations commissioned by the Department. Four main relevant studies and the assessments used are summarised in appendix A.
	Prior to 2006-07 there was significant investment in Early Years through the General Sure Start Grant and Sure Start local programmes but it is not possible to strip out from this the spend on children aged under three. From 2006-07 to 2010-11 funding was included in the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant (formerly the General Sure Start Grant) specifically for Two Year Old Early Learning (see the following table). In 2011-12 the Department introduced the Early Intervention Grant (EIG), which replaced a number of centrally directed grants. The EIG is not ring-fenced, allowing greater flexibility and freedom at the local level. The Department recognises that there are on-going costs associated with the delivery of Two Year Old Early Learning and has therefore made additional funding available in the EIG. It is for each local authority to determine how to use the overall allocation to best meet local needs and priorities.
	
		
			  Total  £  (England) 
			 2006-07 Nursery Education Pilot Funding (individually ring-fenced within the GSSG(1)) 5,715,450 
			 2007-08 Nursery Education Pilot Funding (individually ring-fenced within the GSSG) 12,994,025 
			 2008-09 Two Year Old Early Learning Pilot Funding (individually ring-fenced within the SSEYCG(2)) 16,994,418 
			 2009-10 Two Year Old Early Learning and Childcare Funding (individually ring fenced within the SSEYCG) 58,306,293 
			 2010-11 Two Year Old Early Learning and Childcare Funding (individually ring-fenced within the SSEYCG) 66,744,167 
			 2011-12 EIG(3) Allocation (not ring-fenced) 2,222,555,697 
			 2012-13 EIG Allocation (not ring-fenced) 2,365,200,000 
			 (1) General Sure Start Grant (predecessor to the SSEYCG) (2) Sure Start Early Years and Childcare Grant (3 )Early Intervention Grant (not ring-fenced—local authorities determine the use of the funding to best meet local need) 
		
	
	ANNEX A
	Cognitive assessment of three-year-olds
	National Evaluation of Sure Start
	This evaluation was a longitudinal study assessing the impact of Sure Start Local programmes (SSLPs) on children and their families by comparing their outcomes with similar children/families not living in SSLP areas. Development at age three was assessed using four subscales of the British Ability Scales (BAS), which is an educational psychology tool that provides a reliable measure of children's cognitive functioning. The following subscales were used to measure overall cognitive function: block building, verbal comprehension, picture similarities and naming vocabulary. The subscales of naming vocabulary and verbal comprehension were used to produce a measure of language development and the block building and picture similarities were used to produce a measure of non-verbal cognitive development.
	Further information and the results of these assessments can be found here:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/NESS/2008/FR/027
	Effective Provision of Pre-School Education
	This research was designed to assess the effectiveness and impact of pre-school education in England. On entry to the study at three years of age children were assessed in terms of cognitive development using the same four subscales of the British Ability Scales (BAS) as specified above (for the National Evaluation of Sure Start). Further information and the results of these assessments can be found here:
	http://eppe.ioe.ac.uk/eppe/eppeintro.htm
	Millennium Cohort Study
	This study started in 2001 and is a birth cohort study tracking the lives of children and their families from when the children were born. When the children were three-years-old their cognitive outcomes were measured using two assessments: the naming vocabulary subtest of the British Ability Scales (BAS) and the School Readiness Composite (SRC) of the Revised Bracken Basic Concept Scale. The six subtests of the SRC comprise the assessment of children's basis concepts such as colours, letters, numbers/counting, sizes, comparisons and shapes. The test is individually administered. Further information and the results of these assessments can be found here:
	http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/2734/1/Users_Guide_to_Initial_Findings_-_20707.pdf
	Early Education Pilot for Two Year Old Children Evaluation
	This study was designed to assess the impact of providing free early education to disadvantaged two-year-olds. The interviews with families when the children turned three included a range of child assessments including: Children's vocabulary as measured by the British Ability Scales (BAS-II) and the Sure Start Language Measure (SSLM); Children's non-verbal reasoning, as measured by the BAS-II; and the Adaptive Social Behaviour Inventory (ASBI).
	Two subscales of the BAS assessments were used—naming vocabulary and picture similarity, the first being a measure of vocabulary and the second being a measure of non-verbal reasoning ability. The SSLM is a parental report measure of early language which includes both a word count score and the parents evaluation of developmental status (PEDS), which is a measure of parental concern about language and other aspects of child development. Further information and the results of these assessments can be found here:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/RSG/EarlyYearseducationandchildcare/Page6/DCSF-RR134

Schools: Hygiene

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how he expects the new School Premises Regulations to be enforced in respect of the obligation for schools to provide suitable toilets and washing facilities; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the removal of the requirements for a certain number of facilities to be provided for a given number of pupils from the regulations on the effectiveness of enforcement.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities will be responsible for ensuring that the schools they maintain conform to the new School Premises Regulations. With independent schools the new requirements will be enforced through inspection.
	The proposed School Premises Regulations stress that suitable toilet and washing facilities must be provided for the sole use of pupils, having regard to their ages, number, sex and any special requirements they may have, but the regulations will be supported by supplementary information and guidance. This is still being developed to take account of views expressed in the recent consultation.

Teachers: First Aid

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has any plans to increase the proportion of teachers who receive first aid training.

Nick Gibb: The employer is responsible, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA), for making sure that a school has a health and safety policy. This should include arrangements for first aid. It is the employer's responsibility to make sure that the statutory requirements for provision of first aiders are met, that appropriate training is provided and that correct procedures are followed. The employer must ensure that there are enough trained staff to meet the statutory requirements and assessed needs, allowing for staff on annual/sick leave or off-site.

JUSTICE

Law Society

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to discuss with the Law Society the behaviour of companies that purport to be law firms;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that consumers are not misled by companies that purport to be bona fide law firms.

Jonathan Djanogly: As the legal profession is independent and self regulating, this is a matter for the Law Society and its regulatory arm, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). I have not initiated discussions as I am aware they have effective arrangements in place to identify and deal with such companies.
	The SRA is working to protect consumers from bogus law firms. It has taken steps to raise awareness of this issue amongst the public and legal profession. In addition, where the SRA has sufficient evidence that firms have misled consumers, it can take legal action against the individual or company concerned.

Children: Custody

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether family law provides a presumption in favour of one parent in child custody cases; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 23 April 2012
	I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Education.
	There is no presumption in private family law in favour of one parent in contact and residence cases. In making decisions about children's care, courts are required by the Children Act 1989 to have the welfare of the child as their paramount consideration. Each case is assessed individually on the basis of available evidence, with the court taking account of the factors in the ‘welfare checklist’ in section 1 of the Children Act 1989 to ensure that its decisions are consistent with the child's welfare.
	The Government strongly believe that most children benefit from a continuing relationship with both parents after separation. Our response to the Family Justice Review includes a commitment to reinforce this principle in law.

Domestic Violence

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to his contribution of 17 April 2012, Official Report, column 223, whether his commitment to double the time limit in relation to evidence of domestic violence will apply in relation to incidents of child abuse.

Jonathan Djanogly: Yes. The doubling of the time limit will apply to evidence required to show child abuse for legal aid in private children cases.

Kennet Prison

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for the development of land associated with HM Prison Kennet either within the prison or on land outside the prison owned by his Department.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice is looking at every opportunity to release the value from surplus assets and is considering the disposal of the land it owns close to or associated with Kennet prison. The Department is liaising with the local council about the site's potential future use. No decisions have yet been taken but we will continue to work with the local authority.

Legal Aid Scheme

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the Courts Service in the event that they have to deal with an increases in litigants in person as a result of his proposed changes to the legal aid system.

Jonathan Djanogly: Our assessment is that the changes to the legal aid system are unlikely to impose significant additional costs on courts or tribunals. This is because there is no firm evidence that unrepresented cases take longer, and we expect a decrease in volumes coming to court due to an estimated 10,000 additional mediations a year.

Legal Aid Scheme

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the potential (a) change in the number of litigants in person and (b) extra cost to the public purse arising from any such change as a consequence of his proposed changes to legal aid for welfare benefit advice.

Jonathan Djanogly: The impact assessments and equality impact assessments published alongside the response to consultation lay out the Government's assessment of the likely costs and benefits of the reforms. Ultimately, impacts arising from the changes will be driven by behavioural responses, and these cannot be predicted with any real degree of accuracy. We will undertake a post-implementation review of the reforms between 3-5 years following implementation.

Legal Aid Scheme

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of savings to the public purse accruing from his proposed removal of access to legal advice by immigrants and asylum seekers.

Jonathan Djanogly: We are retaining legal aid for all asylum cases. In 2009-10 the total spend on immigration and asylum was £90 million a year. As set out in the impact assessment accompanying the proposals, by removing most of immigration from the scope of legal aid we will be saving approximately £20 million a year.

Legal Aid Scheme: Domestic Violence

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of any extra costs that will be incurred by the police, following the proposed withdrawal of legal aid for cases of domestic violence, if they have to investigate all cases of domestic violence before there is access to public funding for an injunction.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government are maintaining legal aid for victims of domestic violence to take protective injunctions against their abusers. We will not require victims to produce evidence to gain access to legal aid for protective orders. We will also continue to waive financial eligibility limits in these cases as at present.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of any pilot projects undertaken by his Department on the use of mindfulness-based therapies in prisons and the justice system.

Crispin Blunt: Our programmes are predominately cognitive behavioural interventions. Some interventions do incorporate a mindfulness based approach, although this is a relatively new innovation. As of yet there are no published reports relating to NOMS pilot projects that make specific reference to the effectiveness of the use of mindfulness, or mindfulness-based techniques.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  which of his Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification;
	(2)  whether his Department collects the IP addresses of respondents to its consultations;
	(3)  whether his Department accepts anonymous contributions to its consultations.

Jonathan Djanogly: The information is as follows.
	(1) Formal verification of compliance with the various obligations set out under the HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation is a matter that is normally handled internally, in accordance with the obligation under the Code to monitor the effectiveness of consultation exercises.
	It is normal practice for the Ministry of Justice to publish a summary of all responses to formal written consultation exercises, consistent with the Code. Publication of a summary of consultation responses promotes transparency and provides the opportunity for external scrutiny of the consultation process independent of Government.
	(2) The Ministry of Justice online consultation tool records the IP addresses of people providing responses. This allows the Ministry to monitor the receipt of multiple responses from a single IP address.
	(3) Yes. The Ministry of Justice has signed up to HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation which states (at paragraph 6:1)
	“All responses (both written responses and those fed in through other channels such as discussion forums and public meetings) should be analysed carefully”.

Vacancies

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many job vacancies there were for (a) staff posts and (b) Senior Civil Service posts in his Department on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: Information about the number of job vacancies for (a)staff posts and (b) senior civil service posts on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 is not held centrally by the Ministry of Justice. To obtain this information will incur a disproportionate cost.

Witnesses

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many notices of prosecution have been issued for witnesses giving evidence at public inquiries established under the Inquiries Act 2005; and for which inquiries.

Jonathan Djanogly: Information relating to the 14 inquiries either established under the Inquiries Act 2005 or converted into 2005 Act inquiries is held by the respective sponsoring Departments.
	The Ministry of Justice sponsored the Bernard (Sonny) Lodge inquiry and is currently sponsoring the Azelle Rodney inquiry jointly with the Home Office. No witnesses have been prosecuted under the 2005 Act in respect of these two inquiries.

Young Offenders: Greater Manchester

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young adult offenders aged 18 to 20 years from (a) Manchester and (b) Trafford have been held in (i) young offender institutions, (ii) a local prison, (iii) a women's prison and (iv) other parts of the secure estate in each month since May 2009.

Crispin Blunt: All young offenders serving sentences of DYOI are held in appropriately designated YOI accommodation within the prison estate. The majority of this accommodation is in dedicated YOIs, although some establishments in the estate have a dual designation (designated both as a prison and a YOI) and hold both adult prisoners and young offenders.
	The following tables show the number of offenders aged 18 to 20-years-old with a recorded residential address or proxy in Manchester and Trafford who were held in predominant function male Young Offender Institutions, predominant function male local prisons, predominant function female prisons and other prisons on a set day in each month where data are available since May 2009.
	
		
			 Manchester 
			 Location May 2009 Sep 2010 Nov 2010 Jan 2011 Mar 2011 May 2011 Jul 2011 Sep 2011 Nov 2011 Jan 2012 
			 (a) Male Young Offender Institutions 258 190 189 187 157 147 116 116 127 138 
			 (b) Male local Prisons 71 43 52 55 52 50 59 87 78 70 
			 (c) Female Prisons 11 10 8 7 6 6 7 9 8 9 
			 (d) Other Prisons 7 9 7 4 17 16 14 9 21 26 
		
	
	
		
			 Trafford 
			 Location May 2009 Sep 2010 Nov 2010 Jan 2011 Mar 2011 May 2011 Jul 2011 Sep 2011 Nov 2011 Jan 2012 
			 (a) Male Young Offender Institutions 6 34 37 31 30 29 23 20 16 11 
			 (b) Male local Prisons 2 9 5 6 4 2 1 8 3 7 
			 (c) Female Prisons 4 0 I 2 2 3 2 3 3 2 
			 (d) Other Prisons 0 1 0 0 2 1 1 1 5 3 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	Information on offenders' residences is provided by offenders on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses can include a home address, an address to which offenders intend to return on discharge or next of kin address and these figures are provided in the tables.
	If no address is given, an offender's committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which they are resident. These figures are also included in the tables. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of all offenders, these figures are excluded from the tables.

Young Offenders: Greater Manchester

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile offenders from (a) Manchester and (b) Trafford have been held in (i) a secure children’s home, (ii) a secure training centre and (iii) a young offender institution in each month since May 2009.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of juvenile offenders (aged 10 to 17) either sentenced or remanded in custody attached to the (a) Manchester youth offending team (YOT) and (b) Trafford YOT who have been held in a (i) secure children's home, (ii) secure training centre and (iii) under 18 young offender institution in each month since May 2009 to February 2012.
	These data have been provided by the Youth Justice Board (YJB). The YJB holds data at the YOT area level, not at the local authority level. YOT area data may cover more than one local authority area; however, in this case the YOTs and the local authorities cover the same geographic area.
	This is based upon monthly snapshot data. Therefore one young person who is serving more than one month in custody will be shown in more than one month in the table.
	The data from April 2011 onwards are provisional and will be finalised when the 2011-12 Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.
	
		
			  Manchester YOT Trafford YOT 
			  Secure children's homes Secure training centres Young offender institutions Secure children's homes Secure training centres Young offender institutions 
			 2009       
			 May 3 2 69 1 0 8 
			 June 3 1 68 0 0 11 
			 July 2 2 66 0 0 10 
			 August 4 2 72 0 1 14 
			 September 2 2 82 0 1 18 
			 October 2 2 82 0 1 16 
			 November 4 1 72 0 1 15 
			 December 2 2 61 0 1 14 
			        
			 2010       
			 January 4 3 68 1 1 15 
			 February 5 2 64 1 2 15 
			 March 3 5 61 1 2 16 
			 April 2 5 58 0 3 18 
			 May 3 4 63 0 2 15 
			 June 5 5 60 1 3 16 
			 July 5 6 62 1 3 13 
			 August 3 5 54 1 2 9 
			 September 2 5 52 1 1 7 
			 October 2 4 51 1 1 6 
			 November 2 6 49 1 1 4 
			 December 2 4 49 0 1 4 
			        
			 2011       
			 January 2 5 46 0 1 4 
			 February 2 6 54 1 0 5 
			 March 3 3 47 0 0 5 
			 April 5 4 43 2 0 3 
			 May 4 4 51 2 0 3 
			 June 4 6 48 2 0 3 
			 July 8 5 37 1 1 4 
			 August 7 4 45 0 0 5 
			 September 7 2 38 0 1 6 
			 October 6 3 43 0 1 6 
		
	
	
		
			 November 4 4 35 0 1 8 
			 December 1 2 42 0 0 6 
			        
			 2012       
			 January 1 1 39 0 0 5 
			 February 2 0 35 0 0 6 
			 Notes: 1. YJB data referring to secure training centres (STCs), secure children's homes (SCHs), and under 18 young offender institutions (YOIs). These do not include 18 to 21-year-olds held in YOI separate units for which the YJB do not hold data. This is based upon monthly snapshot data therefore one young person who is serving more than one month in custody, will be shown in more than one month in the table. The figures from April 2011 onwards are provisional. 2. Young people are defined as those aged 10 to 17 years of age, however some 18-year-olds remain in the secure estate for children and young people if they only have a short period of their sentence left to serve, to avoid disrupting their regimes (and are included in these figures). 3. The data come from the Youth Justice Board's Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS). These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship starts there were for 16 to 18-year-olds in each year between 2007 and 2011.

John Hayes: holding answer 23 April 2012
	Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship programme starts by learners aged under 19 for academic years 2006/07 to 2010/11, the latest full year for which final data are available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by learners aged under 19, 2006/07 to 2010/11 
			 Full year Under 19 Apprenticeship starts 
			 2006/07 105,600 
			 2007/08 107,600 
			 2008/09 99,400 
			 2009/10 116,800 
			 2010/11 131,700 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Age is based on age at the start of the programme. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by age is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29 March 2012
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Apprentices

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have been created in (a) Stockton North constituency, (b) Stockton South constituency, (c) Darlington, (d) Middlesbrough, (e) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, (f) Redcar, (g) Hartlepool, (h) the North East and (i) England in the (i) 16 to 18, (ii) 19 to 24 and (iii) over 25 years age category since May 2010.

John Hayes: I have made final data available in the Libraries of the House which show the number of apprenticeship programme starts in Stockton North, Stockton South, Darlington, Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Redcar and Hartlepool constituencies, the North East region and England, between May 2010 and July 2010 of the 2009/10 academic year and full year figures for the 2010/11 academic year, the latest period for which final data are available.
	Provisional information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29 March 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
	this may not however reflect end of year final figures.

Aviation: Treaties

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 526W, if he will publish the Government response to the call for evidence concerning the ratification of the Cape Town convention.

Norman Lamb: I aim to publish the Government response to the call for evidence concerning the ratification of the Cape Town convention shortly.

Business: Government Assistance

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 997-8W, on business: government assistance, what the cost of administration was of each of the business support schemes referred to in the answer.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 18 April 2012
	Access to Finance business support scheme—For the financial year 2011-12 the cost of administering the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme (EFG) and the ongoing commitments from the preceding Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme (SFLG) is £680,000.
	The Technology Strategy Board's (TSB) estimated overall administration cost figure for the 2011-12 financial year is £24.3 million. This will cover administration of its Collaborative Research and Development, Smart, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and Networking for Innovation business support schemes and other activities. It is not possible to provide separate administration figures for each of the products as many of TSB's personnel work across the schemes and also in other areas.
	Designing Demand—£94,300 was spent in the 2011-12 FY in administering this product. This covers Design Council staff costs.
	Information on the BIS staff costs element of administration costs is available for the following business support schemes:
	Work Place Training, Including Apprenticeships—£1,026,253.90 for the employment of 18.5 officials in the 2011-12 FY on Apprenticeships.
	Business Link website—The administration cost of employing 1.5 officials is currently £106,480.50 in a full financial year.
	Manufacturing Advisory service—£131,290.00 for the employment of two equivalent full time BIS officials in a financial year.
	Administration costs for administering the business support schemes referred to as follows are not available:
	High Growth Coaching;
	Helping Your Business Grow Internationally;
	Regional Growth Fund.

Companies: United Arab Emirates

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of UK companies that are based in the United Arab Emirates.

Norman Lamb: The British embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) state that there are some 5,000 registered UK firms operating in the UAE, and British banks are highly committed there.
	Data from the Office for National Statistics in the “Foreign Direct Investment—MA4 2010” publication shows that the UK had investments to the value £16.3 billion in Gulf Arabian countries in 2010. Based on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) “Disclosure Control Policy” guidance, investment data for the United Arab Emirates in 2010 is not publicly available, due to obligations to protect the confidentiality of data provided, for example where it is based on a small number of data returns.

English Language: Training

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 29 February 2012, Official Report, column 31WS, on English for speakers of other languages, which colleges and training providers have received additional funding to deliver English language training in the 2011-12 academic year; and how much each provider has received.

John Hayes: holding answer 18 April 2012
	Funding was accepted by the following 24 providers in the academic year 2011/12.
	
		
			 Provider Amount (1)  (£) 
			 Barking and Dagenham College 94,000 
			 Birmingham Metropolitan College 330,000 
			 Bournville College of Further Education 243,000 
			 Bolton College 108,000 
			 Bradford College 208,000 
			 City and Islington College 707,000 
		
	
	
		
			 College of North West London 424,000 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and West London 717,000 
			 Hackney Community College 150,000 
			 Hopwood Hall College 138,000 
			 Hull College 149,000 
			 Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College 195,000 
			 Lambeth College 534,000 
			 Liverpool Community College 149,000 
			 New College Nottingham 204,000 
			 Newham College of Further Education 523,000 
			 Newham London Borough Council 181,000 
			 Redbridge College 154,000 
			 Salford City College 112,000 
			 Sandwell College 50,000 
			 South Birmingham College 337,000 
			 South Nottingham College (including the former Castle College) 159,000 
			 The Manchester College 274,000 
			 Waltham Forest College 429,000 
			 (1) Figures provided by the Skills Funding Agency and rounded to nearest 1,000.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect on future levels of investment in UK industry of the introduction of the EU Emissions Trading System Scheme.

Mark Prisk: In April 2009 the UK Government published an impact assessment on the climate and energy package which included the revised Emissions Trading System Directive.
	A copy of the impact assessment can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/77_20090423091800_e_@@_euclimateenergypackage.pdf
	In addition the Department commissioned The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) to produce on a report into the competiveness implications of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) on UK industry, in 2010.
	A copy of this report can be found at:
	ftp://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp10044.pdf

EU Emissions Trading Scheme: Aviation

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the inclusion of aviation in the EU Emissions Trading System Scheme on (a) jobs and (b) workforce skills.

Mark Prisk: In July 2010 the UK Government published an impact assessment on the second stage of transposition of EU legislation to include Aviation in the European Union Emissions Trading System (ETS). However, there was no assessment of the direct impact of the aviation ETS on jobs and workforce skills.
	A copy of the impact assessment can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Consultations/euetsaviationsecondstage/909-ia-second-stage-transposition-euets.pdf

EU Emissions Trading Scheme: Manufacturing Industries

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect on UK manufacturing of the introduction of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Mark Prisk: In April 2009 the UK Government published an impact assessment on the climate and energy package which included the revised Emissions Trading System (ETS) Directive.
	A copy of the impact assessment can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/77_20090423091800_e_@@_euclimateenergypackaae.pdf
	We monitor the impact of the ETS and of other UK climate policy on the manufacturing sector with a view to ensuring the UK sector remains competitive in Europe and globally.

Fossil Fuels: Export Credit Guarantees

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 271W, on fossil fuels: export credits guarantees, whether he plans to announce his decision before the end of the 2010-12 Session.

Norman Lamb: The Government expect to make an announcement by the time of the summer recess.

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer given by the Minister for Universities and Science of 8 March 2012, Official Report, column 858W, on higher education, whether due diligence checks are a mandatory requirement for all courses wishing to be designated for a higher education purpose.

David Willetts: At present all providers applying for courses to be designated for the first time are subject to due diligence reviews.
	As we set out in the Higher Education White Paper, our intention is that all providers that access student support funding will, in future, be subject to the same standards for quality, dispute resolution, information, access (if charging above the basic tuition charge), financial sustainability, reformed student number controls and tuition charge caps.

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer given by the Minister for Universities and Science of 8 March 2012, Official Report, column 858W, on higher education, whether he plans to put due diligence checks on a statutory footing.

David Willetts: As we set out in the Higher Education White Paper, our intention is that all providers that access student support funding will, in future, be subject to the same standards for quality, dispute resolution, information, access (if charging above the basic tuition charge), financial sustainability, reformed student number controls and tuition charge caps.

Industrial Development Act 1982: Northern Ireland

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he will publish the Government's response to the consultation on removal of Northern Ireland's 100 per cent automatic assisted area status as part of its proposed update of the Industrial Development Act 1982.

Norman Lamb: We intend to publish the Government's response shortly.
	This follows ministerial and official level discussion between the Department for Business Skills and Innovation and the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment Northern Ireland.

Manpower

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2011, Official Report, column 717W, on departmental degrees, what proportion of staff in his Department identified themselves as part of the science and engineering profession in every year for which that information is available.

Norman Lamb: holding answer 19 April 2012
	The proportion of staff that have identified themselves as part of the science and engineering profession within Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is:
	2010: 0.44%
	2011: 1.03%
	2012: 0.26%
	(Above figures are for the core Department)
	These figures date from the coalition Government coming to office in May 2010.

Motor Vehicles

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of the automotive sector is to the economy; how many people are employed in the industry; what proportion of the industry operates in each region; and what the industry spent on its supply chains in the UK in 2011.

Mark Prisk: According to the National Accounts published by the Office for National Statistics the automotive manufacture sector accounted for £4.4 billion gross value added in 2010, 0.3% of the UK economy. It also provided employment for 129,000 across the UK.
	The value of goods and services consumed in production by the automotive manufacturing industry was £32 billion in 2009; the latest year for which this data is available.
	The following table details the regional breakdown of employment in the automotive manufacturing sector.
	
		
			 Employment in the Automotive Manufacturing Industry 2010 by region 
			 Regions Employment Percentage of total 
			 North-east 11,500 9 
			 North-west 17,100 13 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 8,800 7 
			 East midlands 10,000 8 
			 West midlands 36,800 28 
			 East of England 9,300 7 
			 London 4,700 4 
			 South-east 10,800 8 
			 South-west 6,400 5 
			 Wales 8,200 6 
			 Scotland 2,900 2 
			 Northern Ireland 2,700 2 
			 Source: Business Registers Employment Survey 2010 (ONS)

National Careers Service

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's publication, National Careers Service: the Right Advice at the Right Time, if he will expand on the definition of distant from the labour market in relation to the criteria for receiving face-to-face guidance sessions from the National Careers Service.

John Hayes: The National Careers Service targets several priority groups who can receive up to three free separate face to face careers guidance sessions; these include those distant from the labour market. This group is defined as adults who are not in receipt of benefits but who are not working and who are interested in returning to the labour market. The group includes those who have had caring responsibilities, women returners and learners who have just completed full-time training or education and have not registered as unemployed. Any adult aged 19 or over who approaches the National Careers Service can receive one free face to face careers guidance session.

National Careers Service

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how he proposes to involve employers more directly in the provision of advice and guidance to young people on a face-to-face basis under the National Careers Service.

John Hayes: The National Careers Service will work with employers and employer bodies to ensure that young people and adults have access to high quality labour market information that reflects employer needs. It will also draw on employer related careers guidance resources, such as those offered by National Skills Academies, Sector Skills Councils and Chartered Institutes.
	Schools will be placed under a duty to secure access to independent and impartial careers guidance for their pupils from September. The Department for Education recently published statutory guidance to support schools in planning for the introduction of this new duty. This highlights the importance of offering young people insights into the world of work through a wide range of careers activities, including engagement with local employers. Schools are free to determine the most appropriate forms of engagement but might consider mentoring, workplace visits, work experience and employer talks.

National Careers Service: Location

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many locations he expects the proposed walk in service of the National Careers Service to be offered.

John Hayes: The National Careers Service currently operates from around 3,250 different locations in communities across England. We are trialling the walk in service in a further 419 other locations across England which include Citizens' Advice Bureaux, shopping malls, mobile libraries and the use of peripatetic workers. The walk in service is trialling the use of a triage approach to determine the needs of the individual and ensure they have access to the most appropriate support. When the trials have been evaluated I expect those aspects which proved most successful to become part of the National Careers Service offer.

Pay

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average wage return is for adults achieving a level 3 qualification in each of the last 10 years.

John Hayes: BIS Research Paper Number 53 “Returns to Intermediate and Low Level Vocational Qualifications” provides the Department's latest estimates of the wage returns to vocational qualifications at level 3. This report is published at the following link:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/r/11-1282-returns-intermediate-and-low-level-vocational-qualifications
	The wage returns in employment—compared to similar individuals with level 2 qualifications—are summarised in the following table. The report does not estimate an average return across all level 3 qualifications, nor break down returns according to the year in which the qualification was achieved.
	
		
			 Qualification type Wage returns (percentage) 
			 Advanced Apprenticeship 22 
			 BTEC 20 
			 City and Guilds 15 
			 RSA 16 
			 NVQ/SVQ 10 
		
	
	BIS Research Paper Number 47 “The Long-Term Effect of Vocational Qualifications on Labour Market Outcomes” assesses the earnings returns for individuals who have achieved level 3 qualifications, compared to similar individuals who started but did not achieve them. This report is published at the following link:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/l/11-1035-long-term-effect-of-vocational-qualifications.pdf

Postgraduate Education

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to produce a White Paper on post-graduate education.

David Willetts: There are currently no plans to produce a White Paper on post-graduate education. The Higher Education White Paper: Students at the Heart of the System included discussions of post-graduate education.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which of his Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification.

Mark Prisk: Any monitoring of the effectiveness of the consultation process is undertaken internally in the Department and is in line with the HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation.

Public Consultation: Internet

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department collects the IP addresses of online respondents to its consultations.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not collect the IP addresses of respondents to its consultations. However, the Intellectual Property Office (an Agency of BIS) stores the IP addresses when respondents access their online consultation forms for web monitoring purposes (currently holding records back to 2008) and if their respondents use email then the IP address of their hosting server is stored for 90 days.

Regional Planning and Development

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to the public purse was of regional development funding in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: The Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2011 sets out information on Government spending:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm81/8104/8104.pdf
	Table 4.2 Public sector expenditure on services by function, 1988-89 to 2010-11 shows total Government expenditure on enterprise and economic development.
	In the same publication Table 9.8a Identifiable expenditure on economic affairs (of which: enterprise and economic development) by country and regions, 2005-06 to 2010-11 shows enterprise and economic development expenditure by country and region.
	Alternatively, expenditure can be estimated by a 'bottom-up' approach of major spending programmes, although there are likely to be funding overlaps between activities.
	Between the period 2006-11 BIS provided a contribution to the funding of the regional development agencies (RDAs), along with other departments.
	
		
			 Table 1: RDA funding 
			 Cash (£ million) 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Regional development agencies 2,328 2,265 2,177 2,249 1,429 
		
	
	The following regional aid programmes were also funded, which may have had contributions from RDAs already outlined above:
	
		
			 Table 2: Regional aid programmes 
			 Cash (£ million) 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFIE) 14.3 44.3 51.3 28.0 17.7 
			 Regional selective assistance (RSA) 51,6 17.8 8.9 7.7 1.0 
			 Grant for Business Investment (GBI) — — 0.15 10.7 23.7 
		
	
	In addition, between 2007 and 2013, £845 million has been allocated to match Structural Funds received from the European Union, although this figure may include any contributions from the RDAs already outlined above and other sources.

Sunday Trading

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had on the potential impact on businesses of a change in trading hours.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 23 April 2012
	I have held discussions with a wide range of businesses, including the Association of Convenience Stores, the National Federation of Retail Newsagents and the Federation of Small Business. In addition we have held meetings with trade unions, large retailers including the large supermarkets, the CBI, the Church of England and Members of both Houses.
	The unique nature of the Olympics and Paralympics makes an accurate assessment of the potential impact difficult. In 2006, as part of a wider review of Sunday trading restrictions, the Government commissioned Indepen Consulting Ltd to carry out an analysis of the economic costs and benefits of easing restrictions on large shops trading on Sundays. The conclusion of the cost benefit analysis was that the net economic benefit of full liberalisation could be worth around £1.4 billion per annum. Should the Government ever decide to look at a more permanent relaxation of these regulations then a full impact assessment, including the impact on small shops, would be carried out.

Trade Competitiveness

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to assist small and medium-sized businesses in developing their competitiveness in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London borough of Bexley.

Mark Prisk: We have introduced a number of measures to help businesses across the UK increase their competitiveness and ensure their businesses thrive and grow through these challenging economic times. These include:
	Helping businesses access the advice and support they need
	We have put in place a range of services, which include:
	An improved Business Link website:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk
	including a new Growth and Improvement Service, offering a range of business tools. Specific advice on increasing competitiveness can be found at:
	http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1073790713&type=RESOURCES
	A mentoring portal:
	www.mentorsme.co.uk
	providing access to 15,000 mentors that can support and guide their development.
	A new Business Coaching for Growth (BCG) service, providing high quality business coaching support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with high growth potential. BCG will also provide a highly networked service that fast-tracks businesses to other relevant forms of support and valued networks such as UK Trade and Investment, the Manufacturing Advisory Service, and business angel networks.
	In October 2011, we announced details of the new £57 million contract to deliver the Manufacturing Advisory Service, focusing on helping SME manufacturers in England develop advanced manufacturing capabilities.
	Helping businesses access the finance they need
	Ensuring the flow of credit to viable SMEs is essential for supporting growth and is a core priority for this Government. We are providing a comprehensive package of support for small businesses, including:
	A new National Loan Guarantee Scheme: Up to £20 billion of guarantees for bank funding will be available over two years allowing banks to offer lower cost lending to SMEs.
	£1.2 billion of funding available to invest through the Business Finance Partnership to help businesses access non-bank finance.
	Continuation of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme until 2014/15, providing, subject to demand, over £2 billion of additional lending over the next four years.
	The Export Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme (ExEFG) launched in April 2011, as part of a menu of extra help for exporters.
	Continuation of the Government's Enterprise Capital Funds programme, providing for more than £300 million of venture capital investment to address the equity gap for early stage innovative SMEs with the highest growth potential.
	Encouraging Business Angel investment through a new £50 million Business Angel Co-Investment Fund.
	A package of investment readiness support through the Business Coaching for Growth programme and a national network of experienced mentors of SMEs working with private and voluntary sector providers and the banks.
	Better regulation
	Reducing unnecessary regulation and cutting red tape is one of the Government's core priorities. We have:
	Introduced the one-in, one-out system requiring Government Departments to assess the net cost to business of complying with any proposed regulation.
	Launched the Red Tape Challenge: a comprehensive thematic review which aims to identify regulations that could be removed, simplified or done in a different way.
	Announced sector-based reviews of regulation to ensure it is enforced at the lowest possible cost to business.
	Introduced a set of Guiding Principles, which will ensure that British businesses are not put at a disadvantage, relative to their European competitors.
	To reduce barriers to businesses taking on new staff Government have announced significant deregulation of employment law.
	Announced that we will scrap or improve 84% of Health and Safety regulation.
	Ensuring a world-class skills base
	Government's ambition is to have a world-class skills base that provides a consistent source of competitive advantage. Key measures include:
	Leadership and management skills support for high growth SMEs to help them develop their management capability.
	Package of measures to help businesses take on apprentices including taking steps to boost the quality of apprenticeship provision, changing the relationship between employers and the state on skills with the £250 million Employer Ownership Pilot routing funding directly to businesses to drive the skills market.
	Encouraging small firms to take on their first apprentice through the £1 billion youth contract, which offers employers with up to 50 employees an incentive payment of £1,500 to take on up to 40,000 apprentices aged 16 to 24, and wage incentives for small firms to take on young apprentices.
	Improving the apprenticeships programme and reducing red tape, for instance removing all excess health and safety requirements.
	Reducing the time it takes an employer to recruit an apprentice to one month.
	Encouraging exporting SMEs
	Budget 2012 set out an ambition to more than double annual UK exports to £1 trillion by 2020. In addition to measures previously announced to help UK businesses export, we have recently announced:
	We will expand the overseas role of UK Export Finance to enable it to develop finance packages that could help UK exporters secure opportunities identified through UK Trade and Investment's High Value Opportunities programme.
	Help secure temporary private sector office space overseas for new UK exporters in high growth countries where such services are difficult to obtain.
	We are continuing to increase UK Export Finance's regional presence in the UK to support SMEs seeking trade finance.
	Encouraging innovative businesses
	Government have launched their Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth which sets out its plans to boost economic growth through investment in innovation and research alongside how it will leverage the significant public investment to drive sustainable growth. The strategy, published in December 2011, had at its heart a £75 million package of funding for innovative SMEs, which will include the re-launch of the Grant for R&D under the Smart brand, expansion of the Small Business Research Initiative, Innovation Vouchers and the extension of the Technology Strategy Board's Launch pad to support SME innovation in defined geographic areas.

UK Trade and Industry Defence and Security Organisation: Human Rights

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration was given to human rights issues in developing UK Trade and Industry's Exporting for Growth Strategy.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) launched its five-year strategy, “Britain Open for Business”, in May 2011. This strategy was developed in compliance with the general frameworks set out in Government policy guidance, including those relating to human rights issues.
	The UK Government are committed to protecting and promoting respect for human rights among UK companies operating overseas. We have made clear that we will not pursue potential trade opportunities that may have an adverse affect on human rights. However, where we have concerns we will not hesitate to raise them. We stand ready to help British firms with advice on their political and reputational risk management.
	The UK Government are committed to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, a set of voluntary principles and standards for responsible business conduct including human rights, and staff overseas are encouraged to promote these principles to British companies operating in international markets.

WALES

Government: Ministerial Meetings

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in her Department have had with (i) Sarah Southern and (ii) Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010.

Cheryl Gillan: No one at the Wales Office has met with (i) Sarah Southern and (ii) Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010.

Legal Costs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on fees for legal work in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: The information requested can be found in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Legal fees paid (£) 
			 2010-11 0 
			 2011-12 25,250

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which of her Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification.

David Jones: The Wales Office has not undertaken any consultations since 2007.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether her Department collects the IP addresses of respondents to its consultations.

David Jones: The Wales Office does not routinely undertake consultations. However, it is not the Department's policy that IP addresses of respondents would be collected if one were to be carried out.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether her Department accepts anonymous contributions to its consultations.

David Jones: The Wales Office does not routinely undertake consultations. However, the Department's standard procedure is that anonymous contributions would be accepted if one were to be carried out.

Public Sector: Pay

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment she has made of the potential effect of regional pay on the salaries of public sector workers in Wales.

Cheryl Gillan: Local pay was brought in by the last Government and was introduced to HM Courts Service in 2008. At the time of the 2011 autumn statement the Government asked the independent pay review bodies to consider how public sector pay can be made more responsive to local labour markets. The review bodies are expected to report by July 2012. Until formal proposals have been made by review bodies and civil service departments, it will not be possible to assess the effect on Wales or any other part of the UK.
	Where pay arrangements are devolved in Wales, it will be for the Welsh Government to decide whether they wish to adopt any proposals to ensure that flexibility in the labour market is fully reflected in Wales.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) civil servants and (b) senior civil servants have retired from her Department since May 2010; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: Four staff have retired since May 2010; none of the staff were senior civil servants.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff of her Department retired in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how many of such staff were taking early retirement in each such year; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: One member of staff retired in 2010-11, and three in 2011-12. No staff took early retirement.

Vacancies

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many job vacancies there were for (a) staff posts and (b) senior civil service posts in her Department on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: There were five job vacancies on 31 March in 2010; eight vacancies in 2011; and three vacancies in 2012. None of these vacancies were for: senior civil service posts.

SCOTLAND

Devolution

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent devolution issues the Advocate-General has considered; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The hon. Member asked a similar question on 28 February 2012, Official Report, column 216W.
	Since 28 February 2012, the Advocate-General for Scotland has received a total of 42 minutes notifying him of devolution issues, one of which related to civil matters.

Legal Costs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on fees for legal work in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office incurred no expenditure on external fees for legal work in 2010-11 or 2011-12.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which of his Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification.

David Mundell: The analysis of all consultations undertaken by the Scotland Office since 2007 has been carried out within the Department.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department collects the IP addresses of respondents to its consultations.

David Mundell: We do not record the IP addresses of respondents to our consultations.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department accepts anonymous contributions to its consultations.

David Mundell: The Government's Code of Practice on Consultation states at paragraph 6.1 that
	“All responses (both written responses and those fed in through other channels such as discussion forums and public meetings) should be analysed carefully.”
	In the consultation on Scotland's constitutional future, the Scotland Office analysed all responses received, as long as they could be individually identified. 101 submissions that were not uniquely identifiable were not included in our analysis, as we could not be certain they expressed legitimate and individual views.

Public Consultation

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether responses to his Department's consultation on Scotland's constitutional future that have been made anonymously without any identification can be reported on in the final analysis.

David Mundell: All responses to our consultation were received by email or by post. This means that all of our responses can be identified by a single unique identifier: either an email or postal address. 101 submissions that were not uniquely identifiable were not included in our analysis, as we could not be certain they expressed legitimate and individual views.

Public Consultation

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any procedures for his Department's consultation on Scotland's constitutional future have differed from the standard procedures for government consultation.

David Mundell: The consultation was run in accordance with standard procedures, other than with the duration of the consultation, which was reduced to eight weeks, rather than 12. This was in order to enable respondents to consider whether the Scotland Bill should be used to facilitate a referendum and to ensure sufficient time was available to amend the Bill, if this was judged to be the best course of action.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) civil servants and (b) senior civil servants have retired from his Department since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: No Scotland Office staff have taken age retirement since May 2010.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff of his Department retired in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how many of such staff were taking early retirement in each such year; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: No staff in the Scotland Office have taken age retirement in 2010-11 or 2011-12.
	As all staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from other Government bodies, mainly the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, these bodies remain the employer and have the responsibility for the operation of retirement arrangements. Seven staff left under voluntary departure arrangements run by their parent bodies during 2011-12.

Sovereignty

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will have discussions with the Scottish Government on its plans to withdraw from NATO in the event that Scotland becomes independent.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office is not making plans for separation as we are confident that people in Scotland will continue to support the United Kingdom in any referendum. The Scottish Government must set out their proposals for separation, including a clear position on membership of international organisations such as NATO.

Sovereignty

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many responses to the UK Government's consultation on Scotland's constitutional future have been submitted using a UK government computer.

David Mundell: We did not take account of which computers were used by people responding to the consultation on Scotland's constitutional future.

Sovereignty

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many anonymous contributions have been received to the consultation on Scotland's constitutional future.

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many anonymous submissions have been made to his Department's consultation on Scotland's constitutional future.

David Mundell: All of the responses to our recent consultation on Scotland's constitutional future were received by e-mail or by post. This means that all of our responses can be identified by a single unique identifier: either an e-mail or postal address.
	101 responses which could not be uniquely identified in this way were not included in the consultation.

Sovereignty

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many responses to the consultation on Scotland's constitutional future have been received from political parties.

David Mundell: Responses were received from the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party, Scottish Labour, the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National party.

Sovereignty

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether pro-forma responses to his Department's consultation on Scotland's constitutional future will be treated differently from other responses to the consultation.

David Mundell: Each response to the consultation on Scotland's constitutional future was treated on its own merits. We are grateful to all those people who took the time to respond to the consultation, and we did not discount individual views, simply because individuals used a particular format to convey them.

Vacancies

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many job vacancies there were for (a) staff posts and (b) senior Civil Service posts in his Department on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The number of vacancies is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  As at 31 March each year 
			  2010 2011 2012 
			 Senior civil service posts 1 1 1 
			 Staff posts 0 0 4 
		
	
	The filling of vacancies is kept under constant review and recruitment action is only taken when there is a business need to fill a post.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the report by Human Rights Watch entitled Afghanistan Moral Crimes; and what representations his Department has made to the Afghan Government on ending the wrongful imprisonment of women and girls.

Alistair Burt: The report highlights the significant challenges that women and girls in Afghanistan continue to face in their daily lives, reflecting deeply embedded traditional conservative social values and culture.
	Embassy officials in Kabul work alongside our international partners to monitor the situation of Afghan women and to press the Afghan Government to uphold their national and international human rights commitments, including the Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Officials in Kabul and the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province are also supporting the Afghan Government to reform the prison sector in line with international standards, including the treatment of women.

Egypt

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support (a) security sector reform in Egypt and (b) Egyptian civil society to hold security and justice providers to account.

Alistair Burt: We believe it is important that effective state instruments of security are put in place in Egypt. Under the Arab Partnership Strategy the UK is providing support for media and civil society organisations to hold public officials and services to account. With other relevant Departments we are exploring ways to provide direct support for security sector reform in Egypt, including possible work with political influencers and relevant NGOs to increase their understanding of relevant issues, and the need to ensure their voice is heard in establishing an accountable security apparatus.
	The British Government have continued to seek assurances from the Egyptian authorities of their commitment to implement human rights throughout the Ministry of Interior and its institutions. Ministers have also raised our concerns about recent action against NGOs. Following the violence in Egypt in November and December last year, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), called on the Egyptian authorities to respect the right of peaceful protest, hold those responsible to account, and release all those detained for peacefully expressing their views. He urged the authorities to make good on their promises to end military trials for civilians.

EU Staff

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals are serving as EU civil servants; and what proportion of the total number of EU civil servants this represents.

David Lidington: 2,157 British nationals work as EU civil servants across the EU institutions. An exact aggregate number of staff for all EU institutions is not available, so we cannot give this as an accurate proportion of the total. However, the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) estimates that the European Commission, European Parliament, Council Secretariat, European Court of Justice, Court of Auditors, EU Ombudsman, EU Committees, and the Data Protection Supervisor employ on aggregate around 47,000 staff in total. Based on these figures we estimate that around 4.6% of total staff in the major EU institutions are British nationals.
	More specific figures are available for some of the major EU institutions. In the European Commission, 1,134 British nationals are employed, representing 4.8% of its staff. In the Council Secretariat, 96 British nationals are employed, representing 3.05% of its staff. The European Parliament estimates that it employs around 220 British nationals, representing 3.5% of its staff.

EU Staff

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had on increasing the number of British nationals applying to be civil servants for the EU.

David Lidington: As part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office communications campaign to increase the number of British nationals applying to be civil servants in the EU, I have engaged with the media and other interested parties to promote awareness of EU careers. A successful campaign last year resulted in a 30% rise in applications and we will continue our efforts to drive up the number of UK recruits to the EU institutions. A shortage of British staff in the EU undermines our influence in the EU. British nationals need to be equally represented throughout the EU institutions so that British culture, attitudes, laws and ways of thinking are considered when formulating policy or legislation.
	Our 2012 Communications Campaign has included hosting an EU Careers event targeted at ‘message multipliers’ such as professional bodies and university lecturers to help raise awareness of the EU civil service, visits to UK universities by FCO officials, an event at the British embassy for British expatriates in Paris, the creation of a dedicated micro site containing all of the information a candidate would need to apply for a career in the EU, as well as online and print advertising, and use of social media.

India

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what reports he has received of (a) the use of anti-conversion laws in India and (b) the loss of scheduled caste status and its accompanying benefits for Dalits in India who adopt religions other than Hinduism, Buddhism or Sikhism; and if he will raise these issues with the Government of India;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the statement by the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief on the use of laws and bills on religious conversion in several states of India to persecute Christians and Muslims; and if he will raise this issue with the Government of India.

Jeremy Browne: We strongly support the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and encourage states to engage with his recommendations.
	We regularly raise issues faced by minority communities in India, including caste issues and anti-conversion laws, with the Indian Government both bilaterally and through the EU/India Human Rights Dialogue. We intend to raise these issues again at the upcoming dialogue due to take place in New Delhi later this year.

Israel: Palestinians

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he had at the UN on the withdrawal of Israel from occupied Palestinian territories.

Alistair Burt: The UN Security Council (UNSC) discusses the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on a monthly basis.
	The UNSC last discussed this issue on 23 April, when the UK underlined the need for a negotiated two-state solution.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), also discussed the middle east peace process during the UNSC debate on ‘The Situation in the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities’ that he chaired on 12 March.

Overseas Companies

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of human rights issues faced by UK companies doing business abroad; and if he will publish such assessments on the Overseas Business Risk section of the UK Trade and Investment website.

Jeremy Browne: We are clear that companies have a responsibility to take full account of human rights considerations in their work abroad, which is why we strongly supported the endorsement of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights at the Human Rights Council in June 2011. As part of the forthcoming Government strategy on Business and Human Rights, we will be developing the Overseas Business Risk service further to include more specific information on human rights issues in the 96 markets listed on the service, as well as a new designated Human Rights page with links to further sources of information. We expect to implement these changes in June 2012.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department collects the IP addresses of online respondents to its consultations.

David Lidington: No.

Somalia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the number of UK-registered ships that encountered pirates off the coast of Somalia but avoided capture in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Transport.
	The Department for Transport does not hold statistics on the number of UK-registered ships that have encountered pirates off the coast of Somalia but avoided capture in each of the last five years. However, data provided by the Maritime Security Centre (Horn of Africa) (MSCHOA) detail eight attacks on UK flagged merchant ships during the past three years.

Somalia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the number of UK-registered ships captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Transport.
	Two UK flagged ships have been captured by Somali pirates in this period. These were taken within two weeks of one another in December 2009 and January 2010. Both ships were eventually released on payment of a ransom; no UK nationals were involved.
	In October 2009 Paul and Rachel Chandler were taken hostage by gunmen in the Indian Ocean while sailing their yacht from the Seychelles towards Tanzania. They were eventually released in November 2010.

Somalia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to improve the safety of ships off the coast of Somalia.

Michael Penning: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Transport.
	The Department for Transport strongly recommends all UK ships follow the advice included in “Best Management Practices” (BMP). This is industry and military developed advice to international shipping on measures to avoid, deter and delay acts of piracy while in the "high risk area" (HRA), including reporting to the counter piracy cell, UK Maritime Trade Operations, in Dubai.
	Compliance with BMP is not mandatory but where reports of non-compliant UK ships are received, the Department for Transport follows up with the shipping company. Current reporting shows UK flagged ships are over 95% compliant.
	The Government recognise that the engagement of armed guards is an option to protect human life onboard UK registered ships from the threat of piracy in exceptional circumstances and when it is lawful to do so. In December 2011, the Department for Transport published “Interim guidance to UK flagged shipping on the use of armed guards to defend against the threat of piracy in exceptional circumstances”. The Department has committed to review the Interim Guidance within 12 months (by December 2012).

Sudan: South Sudan

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce the possibility of armed conflict between Sudan and South Sudan over the Heglig Oilfield.

Henry Bellingham: As I made clear in my statement of 11 April, and as the statement issued by the President of the UN Security Council on 12 April also made clear, both countries must cease all provocative acts in each other’s territory. South Sudan must withdraw its forces from Sudanese territory immediately, and without preconditions. Sudan must end all cross-border military action, including aerial bombing. We are working urgently with our partners in the UN Security Council and the African Union to apply pressure to both parties to this end, and to bring them back to the negotiating table. Our embassies in Khartoum and Juba are delivering these messages locally at every opportunity.

Syria

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps (a) his Department and (b) the EU has taken to impose restrictive measures against the Government of Syria.

Alistair Burt: The British Government continue to work closely with EU partners to impose restrictive measures against the Syrian regime. Most recently, on 23 April the EU agreed a ban on the export of a further list of goods, technology and equipment which might be used in the future for internal repression to Syria, and includes items that could be used to produce chemical or biological weapons. The EU also agreed a ban on the export of luxury goods to Syria.
	This latest round follows 13 previous rounds of EU sanctions aimed at increasing the political and economic pressure on the Syrian regime. Since 1 December 2011, the EU has agreed:
	sanctions on additional individuals and entities, including close Assad family members. A total of 126 individuals and 41 entities are on the EU sanctions list;
	additional sanctions on Syrian banks, including the Central Bank of Syria;
	a ban on the export of equipment that could be used by the Syrian regime for communications surveillance;
	restrictions on Syrian Government access to gold and other precious metals markets;
	an arms embargo; and
	a ban on Syrian cargo flights operating in the EU.
	The UK will continue to push for the EU and international partners to maintain the pressure on the Syrian regime, including through the Friends of Syria group.

Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many journeys (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department made by (i) train, (ii) coach and (iii) Government car in an official capacity in each of the last six months.

David Lidington: During the period 16 October 2011 to 16 April 2012 the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made 13 train journeys and no coach journeys in an official capacity. Details of car journeys cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
	The following table sets out the journeys undertaken by train and coach by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North West Norfolk (Mr Bellingham), the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the hon. Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne), the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Howell of Guildford, and myself. Details of journeys undertaken by my noble Friend Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint and details of car journeys cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Minister Train Coach 
			 Henry Bellingham 4 2 
			 Jeremy Browne 3 0 
			 Alistair Burt 10 0 
			 Lord Howell 0 0 
			 David Lidington 6 0 
		
	
	Records of travel undertaken by officials are not kept in the form requested and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Value for money and budgetary restraints mean all Ministers and staff look to travel by the most cost effective means available.

Yemen

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who will represent the UK at the next Friends of Yemen meeting.

Alistair Burt: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the next Friends of Yemen meeting in Riyadh on 23 May 2012. There will be UK ministerial representation at the meeting.

TREASURY

Income Tax Threshold

Julian Huppert: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) Cambridge constituency and (b) the UK will no longer pay income tax as a result of changes to the income tax threshold announced since May 2010.

David Gauke: The Government's changes to the personal allowance will benefit 25 million individuals and take 2 million low income individuals out of income tax by April next year.
	For the East of England, to which Cambridge constituency belongs, 176,000 will be brought out of tax. Reliable estimates of numbers taken out of income tax at constituency level are not available.

Unemployment

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the Office for Budget Responsibility's most recent forecast of levels of unemployment in 2012.

Chloe Smith: The Office for Budget Responsibility published the official forecast for UK unemployment on 21 March 2012, taking full account of Budget announcements.
	This forecast was broadly unchanged since the autumn statement, with unemployment expected to fall back from the start of 2013 as growth picks up.
	Since the autumn statement 2011, the Government have taken important steps to support private sector job creation and reduce unemployment. The £20 billion National Loan Guarantee Scheme launched last month will help smaller business across the UK access cheaper finance, and the £1 billion Youth Contract went live this month, providing employment and education opportunities for up to half a million young people.

Unemployment

Duncan Hames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the Budget on local and regional variations in unemployment trends.

Chloe Smith: The Office for Budget Responsibility published the official forecast for UK unemployment on 21 March 2012, taking full account of Budget announcements.
	This forecast was broadly unchanged since the autumn statement, with unemployment expected to fall back from the start of 2013 as growth picks up. The OBR has not published forecasts at the local and regional level.
	The Government have taken key initiatives to support growth locally and in the regions, by introducing 24 new enterprise zones; allocating £2.4 billion to the Regional Growth Fund and providing £730 million to local enterprise partnerships through the Growing Places Fund and considering powerful incentives for local authorities to go for growth through the Local Government Resource Review.

Interest Rates

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the effect on the economy of a rise in interest rates.

Mark Hoban: An increase in interest rates would be particularly damaging to an economy with the UK's level of indebtedness. A one percentage point rise in the cost of government borrowing would add around £21.4 billion to debt interest payments in total up to 2016-17. A one percentage point rise in effective mortgage rates would add around £12 billion a year to households' mortgage interest payments.

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

Simon Hart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with LINK on steps to make all cash machines free to use.

Mark Hoban: Ministers and officials meet a wide variety of organisations and individuals. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and representations.

Business

David Nuttall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses were registered for VAT in Bury North constituency on 31 December (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate costs.

Communications Capabilities Development Programme

Dominic Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the sum required to fund the Communications Capabilities Development Programme; and whether such funds have been set aside for this purpose.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The Home Office are responsible for costing their programmes, including the Communications Capabilities Development programme (CCD), which has been in place since 2011.
	Home Office expenditure limits were set out at the time of the 2010 spending review, details of which are available here:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spend_index.htm
	The costs of the Communications Capabilities Development programme will be announced by the Home Office alongside details of the proposals in due course.

Exports: Licensing

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to increase the cost of export licences applied for by UK businesses to export goods abroad.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Export Control Organisation (ECO) within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is responsible for the processing of export licences applications for strategic goods (military and dual-use items). The ECO does not charge for strategic export licence applications. The ECO has discussed with exporters the possibility of introducing fees to recover the cost of processing export licences, but there are no plans to introduce fees for the time being.

Government: Ministerial Meetings

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will prepare and place in the Library a list of meetings between special advisers in his Department and external individuals, bodies and agencies since May 2010, with a description of the purpose of each meeting;
	(2)  what discussions staff in his Department have had with Mr Peter Cruddas or his representatives since May 2010; who took part in any such discussions; and what their purpose was;
	(3)  whether he has met Mr Peter Cruddas in (a) his Department, (b) 11 Downing street, (c) the Downing street flat and (d) Dorneywood since May 2010.

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010.

Chloe Smith: holding answer 18 April 2012
	Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations, available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Income Tax

David Nuttall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of individuals in Bury North constituency who will no longer pay income tax as a result of the increase in the personal allowance from 6 April 2012.

David Gauke: The 2011 Budget announced a £630 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £8,105 in 2012-13 (£240 above expected RPI indexation), with an equivalent reduction in the basic rate limit to leave the higher rate threshold unchanged.
	As a result of these measures, the Government estimated that in 2012-13 260,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether. Information at Government office region is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Government office region Number taken out  of income t ax (Thousand) 
			 North-east 10 
			 North-west and Merseyside 28 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 26 
			 East midlands 18 
		
	
	
		
			 West midlands 25 
			 East of England 25 
			 London 30 
			 South-east 32 
			 South-west 24 
			 Wales 10 
			 Scotland 21 
			 Northern Ireland 9 
			 Address abroad/unknown 3 
			 All 260 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2012-13 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.
	Reliable estimates are not available at parliamentary constituency level, due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas and small sample sizes.
	The Government are committed to supporting lower and middle income earners by raising the personal allowance to £10,000, and removing the lowest income individuals out of income tax. Decisions on future changes in the personal allowance will be taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.

Maternity Payments

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average was of the three highest statutory maternity payments to an individual recorded by HM Revenue and Customs' National Insurance Recording System in the most recent year for which figures are available.

David Gauke: The information requested could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Public Appointments

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appointments of people earning (a) over £142,500 per annum and (b) over £142,500 per annum pro rata he approved between (i) April 2010 and March 2011 and (ii) April 2011 and December 2012; and how many approved appointments were related to GPs working in clinical commissioning groups.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 18 April 2012
	In May 2010, it was announced that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury would be required to sign-off the salaries of any individuals earning over a full-time equivalent of £142,500, in areas under ministerial control.
	As of 17 April 2012, I have been asked to approve the remuneration of 191 individuals. None of these appointments relate to GPs working in clinical commissioning groups.
	I usually approve salaries at a range, prior to advertisement. The Treasury does not hold information about the date on which the final appointments were approved, or whether the final appointments were made on a full or part time basis, and therefore whether salaries were pro rata or not.

Tax Allowances: Charitable Donations

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax relief was provided for charitable donations to bodies and individuals promoting free schools in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much has been budgeted by his Department for such tax relief in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not separately identify tax relief for charitable donations by the types of organisation or individual.

Tobacco

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the amount spent on (a) tobacco, (b) alcohol and (c) prescription drugs in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for an estimate of the amount spent on (a) tobacco (b) alcohol and (c) prescription drugs in each of the last five years (104879).
	Office for National Statistics (ONS) Household expenditure estimates for tobacco and off-trade alcohol in the UK economy are provided in table 1 as follows. It is not currently possible to separate on-trade alcohol expenditure from other consumption in on-trade establishments.
	ONS does not compile aggregate estimates for household expenditure on prescription drugs, nor does it compile estimates of government expenditure on prescription drugs.
	Estimates of government expenditure on prescription drugs are compiled by the Department of Health, England, and by the respective devolved administrations for Scotland, Wales and for Northern Ireland.
	
		
			 Table 1: Household expenditure on tobacco and off trade alcohol. Current prices 
			 £ million 
			  02.1 Alcoholic beverages 02.2 Tobacco 
			 2007 13,596 15,662 
			 2008 14,146 15,739 
			 2009 14,159 15,747 
			 2010 14,433 17,055 
			 2011 15,213 18,346 
			 Note: The estimate for alcoholic beverages is for off-trade only. It is not currently possible to separate on-trade alcohol expenditure from other consumption in on-trade establishments. Guide to quality: Consumer Trends estimates are consistent with the expenditure approach to measuring GDP for National Accounts. However, National Accounts estimates do not have a readily available measure for quality because of the combination of different sources. Estimates are consistent with the Quarterly National Accounts published on 28 March 2012. Source: Consumer Trends Statistical Bulletin

VAT

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect that the abolition of zero-rated VAT on approved alterations to listed buildings will have on the heritage sector.

David Gauke: Annex B—tables of impact for individual measures in HM Revenue and Customs consultation document “VAT: Addressing Borderline Anomalies”, published at Budget 2012, sets out estimates for VAT which will be raised from approved alterations to listed buildings and a summary of impacts upon which comments are invited.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf

VAT

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many swimming pools have been installed in listed buildings where VAT was exempted from the build costs in each of the last 10 years.

David Gauke: Annex B—Tables of Impact for Individual Measures—in HM Revenue and Customs consultation document “VAT: Addressing Borderline Anomalies”, published at Budget 2012, sets out a summary of impacts upon which comments are invited:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf

Working Tax Credit

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in Warrington North became ineligible for working tax credit from 1 April as a result of the increase in the number of hours of work required.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Children's Rights

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what training his Department provides to staff in country teams and headquarters on child rights and child protection.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not provide specific training for staff on child rights and child protection. DFID officials are encouraged and supported each year to complete structured learning to enhance skills and competencies that can assist them to do their jobs more effectively. This includes training on human rights for those that require these skills.

Climate Change

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on mitigating the effects of climate change in the developing world.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government, led by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), engage in negotiations through formal Conferences of the Parties, Inter-sessional meetings and work programmes under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Officials from the Department for International Development (DFID) lead for the UK in these negotiations on climate adaptation and mitigating the effects of climate change.
	On 22 March 2012, the Minister of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr Duncan), met Karl Hood, the Foreign Minister of Grenada and outgoing chair of the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS). Their discussions covered the effects of climate change on Grenada, and other small island states, as well as negotiations under the UNFCCC.

Developing Countries

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department conducts social exclusion analyses and country government assessments; and to what extent these inform the design of country programmes.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development has guidance in place and conducts both country governance analysis and gender and social exclusion analysis. These inform the design of country strategies and programmes.
	Country governance analysis is mandatory and normally prepared in the context of the country planning process. At least 25 country offices have one in place. Gender and social exclusion analysis are mandatory in South Asia division, other divisions decide on a country by country basis.

Developing Countries

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department uses child rights situation analysis in the development of its country programmes.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) uses a wide range of research and evidence on poverty to develop its Country Assistance Plans. This includes information about human rights including the rights of children, where available. All Country Assistance Plans are available on the DFID website.

Developing Countries

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on social protection programmes in Tanzania for (a) children and (b) pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such programmes.

Stephen O'Brien: In 2008-11 the Department for International Development's office in Tanzania had no social protection programmes. We are currently in the process of designing a new social protection programme with a focus on pregnant women and children, and expect this to. become operational in 2012-13.

Developing Countries

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on social protection programmes in Tanzania intended to improve nutritional outcomes for (a) children and (b) pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such programmes.

Stephen O'Brien: In 2008 and 2009 Department for International Development's office in Tanzania did not directly fund any nutrition programmes. In 2010-11 we provided nutritional feeding supplements for 8,031 children, pregnant and lactating women and tuberculosis cases in refugee populations and vulnerable host populations in surrounding areas as part of £4 million of support for the World Food programme's emergency appeal. In 2012-13 we will commence our National Food Fortification programme, which is expected to reach around 20 million people (about half the population of Tanzania) at a cost of £2.9 million over three years.

Developing Countries

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on social protection programmes in Kenya intended to improve nutritional outcomes for (a) children and (b) pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such programmes;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on social protection programmes in Kenya for (a) children and (b) pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such programmes.

Andrew Mitchell: More than 540,000 people, 67% of whom are women, orphans and vulnerable children, are directly benefitting from the Kenya Social Protection Programme. In the Orphans and Vulnerable Children's Programme, poverty levels are 13% lower among beneficiaries.
	The Kenya Social Protection Programme includes two safety net programmes: the Hunger Safety Net Programme (HSNP) and the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Programme (OVC). Both have rigorous monitoring and evaluation systems.
	Total programme spend on the Kenya Social Protection Programme is shown in the following table together with the number of beneficiaries.
	
		
			 Financial year OVC Households reached (5.7 people per household) HSNP Households reached (7.2 people per household) Total amount (£) 
			 2008-09 8,400 5,129 4,771,837 
			 2009-10 17,617 36,655 8,893,028 
			 2010-11 25,430 54,938 17,372,695 
			 2011-12 34,500 61,116 18,148,965 
		
	
	The OVC cash transfer is provided nationally to very poor households taking care of OVC, 85% of which are headed by women. A February 2012 survey shows that the programme is making a real difference to poor people's lives. Children in OVC households are 19% more likely to be enrolled in primary school and 7.8% more likely to be in secondary school. The programme has also had positive health impacts, notably reducing depression, diarrhoea and increasing measles vaccinations.
	The Hunger and Safety Net Programme (HSNP) was developed to reduce food aid dependency and hunger of the most vulnerable people in Northern Kenya. 66% of HSNP beneficiaries are female. Monitoring reports show that recipients have spent the majority of the cash transfer on food, education and health. Among beneficiaries receiving cash transfers there has been a reduction in the proportion of households within the poorest 10% of Kenyans. 69% of beneficiaries report having more and/or larger meals and 20% are seeking alternative livelihood options. While asset holding in Northern Kenya has declined across the board, there has been less of a decline in asset holding in HSNP households compared to households not receiving the transfers. 20% of beneficiary households reported increased expenditure on education and 11% report spending on health services.
	Source:
	Regular HSNP monitoring reports, World Bank Aide Memoire on the mid-term review of the OVC programme (April 2012). Cash transfer programme for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), Kenya, operational and impact evaluation, Oxford Policy Management (OPM), October 2010.

Developing Countries: Females

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the progress towards the 2015 targets set out in its document Choices for Women.

Andrew Mitchell: Progress towards the 2015 targets, as set out in the document ‘Choices for women: Planned pregnancies, safe births and healthy newborns’ will be published in the Department for International Development's (DFID) annual report, in the summer. This will include results achieved to date, as well as information on progress against our public results commitments. The annual report will be posted on DFID's website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	DFID will also undertake a mid-term review, planned for 2013 and an evaluation in 2016. The initial monitoring and evaluation framework can be found on DFID's website, under the publications section, at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk/rmnh

Developing Countries: Health Services

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to help poor countries provide free health care for (a) pregnant women and children and (b) other people.

Stephen O'Brien: In poor countries, the heavy reliance on direct out-of-pocket payments for health care creates financial barriers that prevent people from using services they need and cause financial hardship, even impoverishment for millions who do seek care. Where this is the most effective way to expand access to good quality essential health care for poor people, the Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting poor countries to provide services free at the point of use through both public and private providers.
	In some countries this is being done through our country programme, such as in Sierra Leone where DFID is supporting the removal of fees at government-run health facilities for pregnant women and children under five. Also, in Bangladesh, DFID is supporting a voucher scheme for maternal health services that enables women to receive antenatal care, safe delivery and postnatal care free of charge from both public and private providers. In other countries support is provided through international organisations. DFID is providing both funding and a health financing expert to the World Health Organisation to enable it to support poor countries to reduce their reliance on out-of-pocket payments for health care, both for women and children and for populations as a whole.

Developing Countries: Minerals

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the proposed EU transparency rules for the extractive industry.

Andrew Mitchell: The Government recognise the importance of transparency for the extractive industries and the positive impacts it could have on governance, development and the reduction of corruption. Extractive industries have the potential dramatically to boost economic growth and help resource rich developing countries to pull themselves out of poverty. The Prime Minister and the Chancellor have made clear that the UK will support action at EU level for requirements to be placed on EU extractives companies to disclose the payments they make to foreign governments. Such disclosures can help empower the citizens of resource-rich countries and improve accountability, by enabling them to see what their governments receive from the exploitation of their countries' natural resources. The Government are already engaged in the EU negotiations on this issue.
	The Government have held constructive discussions with those representing civil society and industry about developing a solution that will ensure information disclosed will assist citizens in holding their governments to account, and is proportionate in relation to the costs imposed on industry. This valuable dialogue is ongoing and will help to inform EU negotiations.

Developing Countries: Sustainable Development

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the proposed Sustainable Development Goals.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development supports the development of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and I hope that significant progress on this agenda can be made at the Rio+20 summit this June. SDGs could help to provide incentives for greater global cooperation to address major sustainability challenges such as food security, access to sustainable energy, and water—issues which are of critical importance to development and poverty eradication.

Egypt

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to support (a) security sector reform in Egypt and (b) Egyptian civil society to hold security and justice providers to account.

Alan Duncan: DFID is working closely with other UK Departments to support strengthened governance and greater public voice in Egypt, including exploring ways to provide direct support for security sector reform.
	Through the joint DFID-FCO Arab Partnership, the UK is providing support for media and civil society organisations to hold public officials and services to account in Egypt. For example, work led by the FCO and part-funded by DFID, is supporting Aswat Masriya, a local media organisation, to provide high quality and objective information to the public.

Horn of Africa

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received on the humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa; and what assistance his Department has offered to aid the peoples of Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Djibouti.

Andrew Mitchell: The humanitarian situation in the Horn has improved in recent months, but enormous needs remain. UK officials based in the region receive regular reports from NGO and UN partners in the affected areas. Fragile gains could be reversed if early warnings of potentially below average rains in April to June are realised, and if security issues continue to limit humanitarian access in Somalia.
	Since July 2011, the UK has allocated over £182 million for humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. British support has fed over 3.3 million people. UK contributions to multilateral agencies including the UN's Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) have also benefitted these countries, as well as Djibouti.
	In addition to humanitarian assistance, the UK is also working through its development programmes to strengthen the resilience of poor people in the Horn of Africa to withstand and recover from future shocks. Long term investments in resilience and development represent much better value for money than emergency humanitarian aid alone.

Meetings

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with (i) Sarah Southern and (ii) Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010.

Andrew Mitchell: Details of all Ministers external meetings are available on the Department for International Development website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers/
	and are published every quarter in the normal way.
	Special advisers have not held meetings with Sarah Southern and Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010.
	No information is held on officials meetings.

Morocco

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government is taking to help progress women's rights in Morocco; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: The UK Government are strengthening women's rights across the middle east and North Africa, particularly by securing greater political and economic participation for women. As part of our Arab Partnership Participation Fund (APPF) we have worked effectively with project partners to ensure that gender issues are taken into account For example we have ensured that training courses provided for journalists or MPs have a balance of female and male participants. This year we will support a project in Morocco which will support women MPs through the Parliamentary Women's Forum to influence and promote key bills, particularly those entailing changes to the constitution.
	Through our Arab Partnership Economic Facility (APEF) we are working with the International Financial Institutions to provide greater economic opportunities for women. This support will increase access to finance for female entrepreneurs across the region to set up and develop micro, small and medium sized enterprises.

Official Secrets

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any person employed by (a) his Department and (b) any private firms contracted by his Department is bound by any part of the Official Secrets Act.

Alan Duncan: The Official Secrets Act 1989 applies to all British citizens, Ministers of the Crown, civil servants, and government contractors.

Palestinians

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of Palestinian textbooks are audited by UNESCO.

Alan Duncan: In its reports on Palestinian school textbooks, including the study “Fragmented Foundations: education and chronic crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” (2007) and “Studies on the Palestinian Curriculum and textbooks: Consolidated Report” (2006) United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) does not specify the total number of Palestinian textbooks covered.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which of his Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification.

Alan Duncan: Formal verification of compliance with the various obligations set out under the HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation is a matter that is handled internally, in accordance with the obligation under the code to monitor the effectiveness of consultation exercises.
	It is normal practice for DFID to publish all non-confidential responses to formal written consultation exercises, consistent with the code. Publication of consultation responses promotes transparency and provides the opportunity for external scrutiny of the consultation process independent of Government. A list of DFID's consultations can be found at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Work-with-us/Consultations/Closed-consultation/

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department accepts anonymous contributions to its consultations.

Alan Duncan: In accordance with paragraph 6.1 of the 'HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation', DFID accepts anonymous contributions to its consultations.

Southern Sudan

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to support refugees in South Sudan.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK's humanitarian programmes in South Sudan are addressing emergency needs for refugees, returnees and internally displaced people. In December, I approved a two-year package of support for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Common Humanitarian Fund in South Sudan. We are working on a further package of support to meet the current significant regional difficulties.

St Helena: Airports

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the (a) Prime Minister and (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer on the construction of an airport on St Helena.

Andrew Mitchell: I held no discussions with either the Prime Minister or the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) on the construction of the St Helena airport. I exchange letters with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander) as is appropriate for an investment of this size.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the Care Quality Commission to publish its report on abortion clinics; if he will place copies in the Vote Office; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Anne Milton: Reports of the recent inspections of providers of termination of pregnancy services will be published from mid-May. The Care Quality Commission publishes a report following every inspection of a provider of a regulated activity that it carries out. These reports are available on the Commission's website.

Aerials: Health Hazards

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the potential health risks of mobile telecommunications masts.

Anne Milton: The independently managed Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) programme, jointly funded by Government and industry, has supported a number of studies into the possible health effects of radiofrequency technology relating both to mobile telecommunications masts and hand-held mobile phones. Further details of the research programme are available on the MTHR website at:
	www.mthr.org.uk/
	None of the research supported by MTHR to date has demonstrated that biological or adverse health effects are produced by radiofrequency exposure from mobile phones or mobile telecommunications masts.
	The Health Protection Agency (HPA) advises the Government in relation to the protection of the public from radiation hazards, including those associated with exposure to non-ionising radiation such as the radio waves from telecommunications masts. The HPA is advised on science and on research priorities by its independent Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation (AGNIR). AGNIR is reviewing recent evidence of risks from radiofrequency radiation, and will be updating its 2003 report. AGNIR's new review will take account of studies worldwide and is expected to be completed by late spring or early summer 2012. Further information on AGNIR's work is available at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/Radiation/RadiationAdvisoryGroups/AdvisoryGroupOnNonIonisingRadiation/

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the London Borough of Bexley received treatment for alcohol dependency in each of the last three years.

Anne Milton: The number of people receiving treatment for alcohol dependency in Bexley for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11 is given in the following table. Alcohol treatment data are reported only at primary care trust level. The data refer to community and residential-based specialised assessment and treatment that is care co-ordinated and care planned.
	
		
			 Bexley Care Trust (TAK) 
			  Number of clients (18+) in contact with structured alcohol treatment in the year 
			 2008-09 347 
			 2009-10 377 
			 2010-11 333 
			 Source: National Alcohol Treatment Monitoring System.

Birth Certificates

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has a policy on the level of sole registration of births; and whether health professionals provide guidance to new and prospective parents on the process, function and significance of birth registration.

Anne Milton: The Department does not have responsibility for the registration of births. Practical advice on how to register a birth is available on the Directgov website at:
	www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Registeringlifeevents/Birthandadoptionrecords/Registeringorchangingabirthrecord/DG_175608
	The Department funded ‘Reaching out: Involving Fathers in Maternity Care and Top Tips: Involving Fathers in Maternity Care’, which was published by the Royal College of Midwives on 15 November 2011 at their annual conference. The guide provides top tips and useful insight into how ail maternity service staff might best encourage fathers' involvement throughout pregnancy and childbirth, and into fatherhood and family life. The guide is supported by the Fatherhood Institute and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and available at:
	http://www.rcm.org.uk/college/policy-practice/government-policy/fathers-guide/?locale=en

Cancer

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes for sentinel lymph node biopsy took place in each NHS acute trust in England in each of the last 10 years for which data are available.

Paul Burstow: Information concerning the number of finished consultant episodes for sentinel lymph node biopsy procedures that took place in each NHS acute trust in England for which data are available is set out in the following table.
	Prior to 2006-07 it was not possible to identify biopsy of lymph node procedures as these procedures were recorded using the coding ‘Excision or biopsy’ of the lymph node. To protect patient confidentiality, figures between one and five have been replaced with ‘*’ (an asterisk). Where it was still possible to identify numbers from the total an additional number (the next smallest) has been replaced with an asterisk.
	
		
			 Number of finished consultant episodes (1)  with a main or secondary operative procedure (2)  of sentinel lymph node biopsy by provider (3)  from 2006-07 to 2010-11. Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 Provider name 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 7 19 14 * * 
			 Airedale NHS Foundation Trust — 44 78 48 39 
			 Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 8 21 * * * 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust 82 108 54 16 34 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust — 49 79 73 36 
			 Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust — — — 6 * 
			 Barts and the London NHS Trust 66 76 62 38 18 
			 Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust * — — * * 
			 Basingstoke and North Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust 9 24 23 38 41 
			 Bedford Hospital NHS Trust 6 45 43 89 77 
			 Birmingham Treatment Centre * — — * — 
			 Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 14 29 21 20 8 
			 BMI—Chelsfield Park Hospital — — — — * 
		
	
	
		
			 Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust * 88 77 * 16 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust — * — * * 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust — * 8 — — 
			 Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 103 165 * * — 
			 Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust — 10 34 24 11 
			 Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust 23 54 19 31 13 
			 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 165 64 9 6 7 
			 Care UK head office — — — 25 — 
			 Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust — * * *  
			 Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust — — 8 57 47 
			 City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust — 9 31 19 — 
			 Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust 113 92 * — — 
			 Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust — 17 8 23 * 
			 County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust — * — — — 
			 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust 34 38 35 17 23 
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 35 — — — — 
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust — 125 110 69 7 
			 Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 115 286 23 — — 
			 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 30 10 * — — 
			 Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust — — — — * 
			 Dorset PCT — — * * — 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 23 — * — 6 
			 East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust — 12 * 10 10 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 40 111 53 74 56 
			 East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust — * * 50 127 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust — * — — — 
			 East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust — * 19 12 20 
			 Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 109 105 96 113 44 
			 Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust — — 47 * — 
			 George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust 55 11 28 20 13 
			 Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 244 191 86 117 34 
			 Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust — 11 15 38 18 
			 Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust 51 154 210 — — 
			 Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust — — — 211 231 
			 Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 34 — — — — 
			 Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust — 37 15 * — 
			 Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust 78 — — — — 
			 Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust — 83 43 34 13 
			 Heatherwood and Wexham park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 67 101 24 17 6 
			 Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust — — — * — 
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust * 12 22 17 * 
			 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 96 95 14 — * 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust — 165 210 179 231 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 32 41 20 — * 
			 Isle of Wight NHS PCT 23 34 — — — 
			 James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 6 6 — — — 
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 10 36 17 74 61 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust * * 13 81 60 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust * 19 7 13 * 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 54 26 * 12 40 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust — 176 244 138 70 
			 Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 93 33 12 * * 
			 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust — 28 71 — * 
			 Medway NHS Foundation Trust 73 82 71 66 14 
			 Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust — * 68 130 11 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust — * 53 41 30 
			 Mid Kent NHS Treatment Centre — 68 37 — — 
			 Mid Kent NHS Treatment Centre — — — 6 * 
			 Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust 48 47 14 * 8 
			 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust — 60 153 104 28 
			 Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust * 78 9 * * 
		
	
	
		
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust * 6 7 * * 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 235 95 21 18 10 
			 North Bristol NHS Trust 121 196 179 180 — 
			 North Bristol NHS Trust — — — — 72 
			 North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust — 10 43 * * 
			 North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust treatment centre * * * 21 25 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust — * — 18 27 
			 North tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust 169 114 145 96 24 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 67 39 57 80 71 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 21 51 58 55 52 
			 Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust * * * 7 — 
			 Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust — 7 * 7 9 
			 Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 1 * * 25 21 
			 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 97 172 — 294 262 
			 Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust 31 43 106 51 16 
			 Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust — — — — * 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 14 * 6 * * 
			 Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 124 101 — * * 
			 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust 6 74 53 22 * 
			 Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust — 51 174 180 86 
			 Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 81 77 * 18 — 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust — 6 13 — — 
			 Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust 118 123 71 39 47 
			 Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 36 70 98 34 16 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust — — * — — 
			 Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust 77 37 * — — 
			 Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust — — — * * 
			 Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust 208 178 13 * * 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 41 61 90 54 13 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust 59 218 243 264 107 
			 Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 136 103 * 15 20 
			 Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust 122 176 152 80 52 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust — — 9 — — 
			 Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust — 6 * 29 * 
			 Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust 10 12 6 * * 
			 Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust 41 9 — — * 
			 Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Health Care NHS Trust — * * 6 7 
			 Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust * 8 25 52 10 
			 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 55 * — * * 
			 Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust — 15 6 * 44 
			 South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 19 * 31 18 80 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust — — — 24 46 
			 South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust — 42 88 83 106 
			 South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust — * 12 25 30 
			 South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust * 64 95 59 9 
			 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 30 68 47 * 19 
			 Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 102 101 49 * — 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust — * 31 15 * 
			 St George's Healthcare NHS Trust 215 158 73 46 33 
			 St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 79 107 9 12 * 
			 St Mary's NHS Trust 61 — — — — 
			 Stockport NHS Foundation Trust * 31 32 34 21 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust — 56 18 12 * 
			 Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust — 24 13 * * 
			 Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust 11 9 * 28 48 
			 The Christie NHS Foundation Trust 31 50 10 10 26 
			 The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 68 37 11 29 13 
			 The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 20 27 31 9 15 
			 The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust — 119 157 185 19 
			 The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust — * 24 51 34 
			 The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust 80 15 * * 8 
			 The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust — * 41 32 — 
			 The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust — 20 87 122 129 
			 The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust 242 264 275 236 — 
		
	
	
		
			 The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust — * 38 24 19 
			 The Spencer Wing — — — — * 
			 The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 34 10 * * — 
			 United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust 48 9 8 14 36 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 61 34 * * 10 
			 University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust 13 — — — — 
			 University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust 178 39 41 56 9 
			 University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust 191 187 — * — 
			 University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust — 15 19 22 36 
			 University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust 19 16 6 13 23 
			 University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 120 115 * * — 
			 University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust 138 204 246 343 426 
			 University Hospitals of Morecambe bay NHS Foundation Trust 129 35 21 12 16 
			 Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust 72 11 9 8 14 
			 Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust — — — 18 * 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 82 43 * 15 13 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust — 24 38 32 6 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 24 16 6 6 6 
			 Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust — — — 63 29 
			 Weston Area Health NHS Trust 14 25 66 74 55 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust — — 39 53 46 
			 Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust — 9 26 — * 
			 Winchester NHS Treatment Centre * — — — — 
			 Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation 19 8 — — — 
			 Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 37 125 150 11 32 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust — 12 41 — — 
			 Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust 7 31 * * 15 
			 Wye Valley NHS Trust 27 36 — * * 
			 Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust — — — 6 * 
			 York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 72 74 40 37 58 
			 (1 )A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2) The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a hospital episode statistics (HES) record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. For example, patients under going a ‘cataract operation' would tend to have at least two procedures—removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one—counted in a single episode. (3) A provider code is a unique code that identifies an organisation acting as a health care provider (e.g. NHS trust or primary care trust). Hospital providers can also include treatment centres (TC). Normally, if data are tabulated by health care provider, the figure for an NHS trust gives the activity of all the sites as one aggregated figure. However, in the case of those with embedded TCs, these data are quoted separately, in these cases, ‘-X’ is appended to the code for the rest of the trust, to remind users that the figures are for all sites of the trust excluding the treatment centres. The quality of TC returns are such that data may not be complete. Some NHS trusts have not registered their TC as a separate site, and it is therefore not possible to identify their activity separately. Data from some independent sector providers, where the onus for arrangement of dataflows is on the commissioner, may be missing. Care must be taken when using these data as the counts may be lower than true figures. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Cancer

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria were used to determine the cancer drug fund budget for (a) radiotherapy and (b) chemotherapy for 2012-13; what account was taken of the respective cure rates of each form of treatment when setting the budgets; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The £200 million we have made available to the national health service for the Cancer Drugs Fund in 2012-13 has been allocated amongst strategic health authorities (SHAs) using the national weighted capitation formula. This funding is for cancer drug treatments, including radiopharmaceuticals and it is for SHA regional clinically-led panels to make decisions on its use.
	The clinical effectiveness of pharmaceutical and radiological treatments will vary according to factors such as the type and stage of disease.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned on myalgic encephalomyelitis in the last three years.

Paul Burstow: The following projects funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit programme started in the last three years:
	Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) interventions within the primary care setting: developing resources for support and self-management in primary care; and
	Graded Exercise Therapy guided SElf-help Treatment (GETSET) for patients with CFS/ME: a randomised controlled trial in secondary care.
	In addition, the NIHR is funding a clinician scientist award on evidence based prevention, identification and treatment of CFS/ME in children and young people.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish each paper held by his Department on research evidence on myalgic encephalomyelitis in each of the last 20 years.

Paul Burstow: It has been a long-standing principle of governance for health and social care research that there should be open access to research findings in all therapeutic areas including chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, once these findings have been subjected to appropriate scientific review.
	The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has published a policy statement on open access to research. This is available on the NIHR website at:
	www.nihr.ac.uk/research/Pages/Research_Open_Access_Policy_Statement.aspx

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what programmes his Department has in place to raise medical awareness of myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has published guidelines on the diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis. There is also information available on the NHS evidence website, with a number of resources published by clinicians, charities and professional organisations.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department classifies myalgic encephalomyelitis as a neurological condition.

Paul Burstow: The Department classes chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis as a long-term neurological disease of unknown cause.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people (a) were diagnosed with and (b) died from myalgic encephalomyelitis in each year since 2005.

Paul Burstow: This information is not available, as it is not collected centrally.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department considers the Perrin Technique to be an efficacious treatment for the symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis; and whether it is available as an NHS treatment.

Paul Burstow: Decisions on the commissioning of complementary and alternative therapies and treatments on the national health service are a matter for the NHS locally. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guideline suggests there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that complementary therapies are effective treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) so do not recommend their use. However, the guideline acknowledges that some people with CFS/ME choose to use complementary therapies for symptom control and find them helpful.
	It is the responsibility of individual clinicians to decide whether a particular treatment option is appropriate for an individual patient, in discussion with the patient and based on the available evidence.

Colorectal Cancer

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes took place for (a) open and (b) laparoscopic excision of colorectal cancer in each NHS acute trust in England in each of the last 10 years for which data are available.

Paul Burstow: Tables of information concerning the number of finished consultant episodes for patients with a primary diagnosis of colorectal cancer and for those with an excision procedure of the colon and/or rectum have been placed in the Library.
	These have been presented separately as open and laparoscopic procedures and been broken down by hospital provider. It should be noted that due to changes in the coding of trusts, 2003-04 to 2010-11 includes a greater number of providers than 2001-02 to 2002-03, including independent providers.
	Note that these are counts of episodes not patients, as one patient may undergo several episodes in one spell or in separate spells.
	To protect patient confidentiality, figures between one and five have been replaced with “*” (an asterisk). Where it was still possible to identify numbers from the total an additional number (the next smallest) has also been replaced with an asterisk.

Colorectal Cancer

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes took place for other specified excision of rectum in each NHS acute trust in England in each of the last 10 years for which data are available.

Paul Burstow: Tables of information regarding the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) where the main or secondary operative procedure was recorded as specified excision of the rectum have been placed in the Library.
	It should be noted that the number of FCEs does not represent the number of patients as an individual may have more than one period of hospital care involving this procedure in any given year.
	To protect patient confidentiality, figures between one and five have been replaced with “*” (an asterisk). Where it was still possible to identify numbers from the total an additional number (the next smallest) has been also been replaced by an asterisk.

Complex Disability Equipment Clinical Reference Group

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) functions and (b) membership are of the Complex Disability Equipment Clinical Reference Group.

Paul Burstow: The role of the Clinical Reference Groups (CRG) including that for the Complex Disability Equipment CRG, is to support the transition of specialised services commissioning from the current arrangements to the new arrangements for commissioning which will be in place from April 2013.
	Professor Rajiv Hanspal (Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine at Hillingdon Hospital and Stanmore Disablement Services Centre) is the Chair of the CRG. Other members of the Group are Carolyn Young, Keith Reid, Alan Woodcock, Lai Landham, Clive Thursfield, Venu Harilal, Fergus Jepson, Vicky Jarvis, Henry Lumley, Rosalind Ham, Kate Parkin (Muscular Dystrophy Campaign), Steve McNiece.
	In addition the CRG can invite specialists to attend meetings of the Group to give specific advice.

Diabetes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost to the NHS of amputations due to diabetes (a) in Portsmouth, (b) in Hampshire and (c) nationally in each year since 2008. [R]

Paul Burstow: Information on the cost to the national health service of amputations due to diabetes is not collected centrally. However, the estimated England level gross expenditure on diabetes in acute care was £1.55 billion as reported through the programme budgeting data collection.

Diabetes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have had amputations due to diabetes (a) in Portsmouth, (b) in Hampshire and (c) nationally in each year since 2008; and what steps he is taking to reduce the number of amputations. [R]

Paul Burstow: Hospital episode statistics do not distinguish amputations caused by diabetes from amputations due to other causes. The following results are based on the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) and shows the prevalence of recorded amputations for patients registered in the NDA in the given year i.e. the number of patients in the NDA per 100 patients who have had one or more amputations within the reporting period. Participation in the NDA was not mandatory before April 2011, so this information is approximate. We cannot state that the amputations were caused by the patients' diabetes.
	
		
			 Number of registrations and prevalence of major and minor amputations in patients registered as having diabetes at practices participating in the National Diabetes Audit 
			   Prevalence per 100 
			  Registrations Major amputations Minor amputations 
			 2009-10    
			 Hampshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) 33,446 0.10 0.18 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 8,110 0.12 0.25 
			 National 1,929,985 0.07 0.13 
			     
			 2008-09    
			 Hampshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) 32,062 0.11 0.19 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 7,821 0.15 0.27 
			 National 1,658,409 0.07 0.13 
			     
			 2007-08    
			 Hampshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) 30,004 0.10 0.17 
		
	
	
		
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 2,706 0.15 0.26 
			 National 1,423,669 0.07 0.13

Diabetes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the proportion of amputations due to diabetes that could have been prevented; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Paul Burstow: NHS Diabetes document “Foot Care for People with Diabetes: The Economic Case for Change”, 2012 stated that with the implementation of multi-professional foot care teams, it is possible to prevent 80% of amputations in diabetics.
	The Department is working closely with NHS Diabetes in implementing foot care networks. There are four networks already established and three more will be launched by May 2012. Network co-ordinators work with health care professionals and partner organisations to improve the quality of foot care services for people with diabetes across primary, community and acute settings.

Diseases

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a submission to the WHO/UN consultation on non-communicable diseases; and if he will place a copy of the submission in the Library.

Anne Milton: The Department, in consultation with the devolved Administrations, is actively participating in discussions on the development of a global, monitoring framework for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and will respond shortly to the second consultation. A copy of our response will be placed in the Library in due course. Departmental officials will also be attending the World Health Organization's consultation event on 26 April.

Drugs: Prices

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider only publishing the drug tariff online in the future; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The drug tariff sets out payments to dispensing contractors for providing national health service pharmaceutical services. Not all contractors can readily access the drug tariff on-line whilst dispensing without disrupting their workflow. Therefore, for the immediate future, contractors will continue to have the choice whether to use the paper copy or the on-line version. We will continue to reassess the situation with the possibility of publishing the drug tariff solely on-line in due course.

General Practitioners

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that the partners in the Woodlands Surgery in Cambridge will not be personally liable for a prospective lease on new premises, and that in the event of closure, resignations or lack of financial viability, the NHS will take over responsibility for the lease.

Simon Burns: NHS Cambridge has advised departmental officials that the general practitioners at the Woodlands Surgery have received sufficient reassurances about their concerns and are now discussing lease terms with the company which will develop the new premises.

Health Education

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Government expenditure has been incurred in advertising to warn the public about dangers from (a) smoking, (b) alcohol, (c) illegal drugs and (d) the impact of media violence on children in each year for which data is available.

Anne Milton: The following tables show the Government's advertising expenditure(1) about the dangers from smoking, alcohol, illegal drugs and the impact of media violence on children for each year for which data is available.
	A total budget figure for the 20012-13 financial year cannot be provided at this stage as detailed planning for some campaigns is underway and advertising media allocations have not been finalised.
	Neither the Department of Health or the Home Office have incurred advertising expenditure warning the public about the dangers of the impact of media violence on children.
	(1) Advertising spend is defined as covering only media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding production costs, Central Office of Information (COI) commission and VAT). All figures exclude advertising rebates and audit adjustments and therefore may differ from COI official turnover figures. All figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000. These figures do not include the Department's recruitment/classified advertising costs and ad hoc spend under £10,000. These figures may include occasional minor spend through COI by national health service organisations, to supplement national campaigns in their area. While this expenditure has been excluded as far as possible so that this chart reflects central departmental spend, it would incur disproportionate cost to validate that every item of NHS expenditure has been removed.
	
		
			 1999-2000 to 2004-05 
			 Campaign expenditure (£ million) 
			  1999-2000 200-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 
			 Smoking 6.18 8.97 7.79 7.87 17.34 20.04 
			 Alcohol(1) 0 0 0 0 0.10 0.05 
			 Illegal drugs(2) 0.53 0.50 0 1.52 3.7 1.9 
			 (1 )From 2006-07 Department of Health contribution to campaign run jointly with Home Office). (2) ( )Since 2003, all spend on illegal drugs campaigns has been administered and funded jointly by the Department of Health, the Home Office and the Department for Education. From 2003, these figures include expenditure from all three departments. 
		
	
	
		
			 2005-06 to 2011-12 
			 Campaign expenditure (£ million) 
			  2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 (1) 
			 Smoking 20.80 13.17 10.79 23.38 14.6 0.46 3.16 
			 Alcohol(2) 0 0.56 0.61 4.77 4.65 0 0.98 
			 Illegal drugs(3) 1.8 4.57 3.15 3.77 3.32 0 0.85 
			 (1) All expenditure for 2011-12 is being reconciled so may be subject to change. (2 )From 2006-07 Department of Health contribution to campaign run jointly with Home Office. (3) Since 2003, all spend on illegal drugs campaigns has been administered and funded jointly by the Department of Health, the Home Office and the Department for Education. From 2003, these figures include expenditure from all three departments.

Health Services: Detention Centres

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps Public Health England (a) have taken and (b) will take with the UK Border Agency and immigration removal centres to ensure (i) continuity of care for those undergoing treatment and (ii) access to screening and evidence-based treatment while in detention.

Anne Milton: All immigration removal centres (IRCs) undertake a medical assessment of individuals detained on their admission, including screening questions about mental health, current and past health history, screening for infectious diseases, and a first night risk assessment. All treatment and medication are provided upon the guidance of the centre doctor. There is access to on-site primary health care services and, through these services access to secondary health care services.
	Where secondary health care appointments cannot be kept because of removal from the United Kingdom and it is deemed important by the centre health care team that the individual detainee should be followed up on return to their country of origin, the detainee is provided with a letter to pass to those responsible for providing health care there.
	Public Health England will not be operational until April 2013. The detail of their role and responsibilities in this area, together with that of other organisations in the new public health system (e.g. NHS Commissioning Board), is currently being considered.
	Responsibility for commissioning health care in IRCs transferred from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) to the Department on 1 April. However, responsibility for clinical services will remain with the UKBA until such time as national health service commissioning is in place, with current arrangements remaining in force. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, responsibility for commissioning all offender health care in England will pass from primary care trusts to the NHS Commissioning Board in April 2013. The Commissioning Board will then work with criminal justice agencies and clinical commissioning groups, with advice from local public health teams, to commission health care for people of all ages detained in settings including IRCs.

Legal Costs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on fees for legal work in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Expenditure figures on legal services and legal consultancy work for the core Department taken from the central procurement system for the two financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12 are shown in the following table along with the same expenditure data provided by Connecting for Health for the same periods:
	
		
			 £ 
			  2010-11 2011-12 
			 'Core' Department of Health 12,950,342 7,457,332 
			 Connecting for Health 8,204,676 11,923,515 
		
	
	This includes expenditure on internal legal advice obtained through a service level agreement with the Department for Work and Pensions.
	Please note that the increase in legal spend for NHS Connecting for Health is associated with the proceedings with Fujitsu and Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC).
	Fujitsu
	Following termination of the Local Services Provider contract with Fujitsu in May 2008, the Department is in formal Arbitration proceedings. This has reached a critical stage in the process where evidence gathering, witness statements and submissions to the Arbitration panel ahead of the September 2012 hearing have increased the external legal effort and therefore the costs.
	CSC
	The CSC external legal costs have increased due to activities associated with the negotiation and agreement of an Interim Agreement and Final Agreement, regarding the deployment of Lorenzo software in the North, Midlands and East of England.

Mental Health Services

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of spending was on mental health services in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; what this represented as a proportion of total expenditure in each primary care trust service in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The data requested for 2011-12 are not currently available. They are expected to be available later in the year. Total national expenditure on mental health was £11.91 billion in 2010-11. The following table shows mental health expenditure for each primary care trust (PCT) in 2010-11, and the percentage of total spend that this represents.
	
		
			 PCT Mental health expenditure (£000) Mental health as a proportion of total expenditure (%) 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 53,245 9 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 69,020 19 
			 Barnet PCT 68,453 11 
			 Barnsley PCT 89,549 17 
			 Bassetlaw PCT 18,619 10 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 32,686 11 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 57,590 9 
			 Berkshire East Teaching PCT 71,957 12 
			 Berkshire West PCT 74,368 11 
			 Bexley PCT 39,613 11 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 101,351 13 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Teaching PCT 36,067 11 
			 Blackpool PCT 41,219 13 
			 Bolton PCT 34,290 7 
			 Bournemouth and Poole Teaching PCT 74,749 13 
			 Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT 119,033 13 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 65,346 12 
			 Brighton and Hove City Teaching PCT 71,988 15 
			 Bristol Teaching PCT 136,169 18 
			 Bromley PCT 54,731 11 
			 Buckinghamshire PCT 77,733 11 
			 Bury PCT 34,520 10 
			 Calderdale PCT 39,906 11 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 100,974 11 
			 Camden PCT 88,033 16 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 49,287 7 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 97,284 12 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 105,566 20 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 109,068 12 
			 County Durham PCT 112,948 11 
			 Coventry Teaching PCT 86,669 15 
			 Croydon PCT 67,628 12 
			 Cumbria PCT 106,592 12 
			 Darlington PCT 19,088 10 
			 Derby City PCT 75,072 16 
			 Derbyshire County PCT 115,894 10 
			 Devon PCT 137,576 11 
			 Doncaster PCT 78,396 13 
			 Dorset PCT 76,161 12 
			 Dudley PCT 53,540 10 
			 Ealing PCT 90,957 15 
			 East Lancashire PCT 81,802 12 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 43,003 9 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 59,628 10 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent Teaching PCT 151,422 12 
			 Enfield PCT 66,911 13 
			 Gateshead PCT 50,242 .12 
			 Gloucestershire PCT 113,726 12 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney Teaching PCT 48,867 12 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 43,061 9 
			 Halton and St. Helens PCT 64,666 10 
		
	
	
		
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 57,754 16 
			 Hampshire PCT 218,570 11 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 83,418 16 
			 Harrow PCT 44,354 12 
			 Hartlepool PCT 22,916 12 
			 Hastings and Rother PCT 35,161 10 
			 Havering PCT 44,210 10 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 92,037 16 
			 Herefordshire PCT 43,541 15 
			 Hertfordshire PCT 168,270 10 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 45,996 11 
			 Hillingdon PCT 35,911 9 
			 Hounslow PCT 49,636 12 
			 Hull Teaching PCT 56,944 11 
			 Isle of Wight Healthcare PCT 42,388 16 
			 Islington PCT 97,717 20 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 60,798 16 
			 Kingston PCT 32,721 12 
			 Kirklees PCT 70,990 11 
			 Knowsley PCT 35,744 10 
			 Lambeth PCT 116,437 17 
			 Leeds PCT 146,014 11 
			 Leicester City Teaching PCT 72,117 13 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 105,885 11 
			 Lewisham PCT 87,432 16 
			 Lincolnshire Teaching PCT 119,958 10 
			 Liverpool PCT 137,458 13 
			 Luton Teaching PCT 34,358 11 
			 Manchester PCT 150,821 14 
			 Medway Teaching PCT 55,217 12 
			 Mid Essex PCT 52,549 10 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 37,673 12 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 40,964 11 
			 Newcastle PCT 89,424 17 
			 Newham PCT 65,254 12 
			 Norfolk PCT 146,723 12 
			 North East Essex PCT 58,445 11 
			 North East Lincolnshire PCT 35,689 10 
			 North Lancashire PCT 81,095 14 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 30,162 11 
			 North Somerset PCT 25,798 8 
			 North Staffordshire PCT 43,738 12 
			 North Tyneside PCT 49,094 12 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 141,982 11 
			 Northamptonshire Teaching PCT 139,645 13 
			 Northumberland Care Trust 62,712 9 
			 Nottingham City PCT 78,077 14 
			 Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT 109,439 10 
			 Oldham PCT 48,552 11 
			 Oxfordshire PCT 113,886 12 
		
	
	
		
			 Peterborough PCT 35,900 12 
			 Plymouth Teaching PCT 60,742 13 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 55,682 16 
			 Redbridge PCT 47,418 11 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 29,082 11 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 6,818 2 
			 Rotherham PCT 59,049 12 
			 Salford Teaching PCT 62,460 13 
			 Sandwell PCT 98,239 16 
			 Sefton PCT 60,087 11 
			 Sheffield PCT 147,991 15 
			 Shropshire County PCT 53,199 11 
			 Solihull Care Trust 33,599 8 
			 Somerset PCT 86,104 10 
			 South Birmingham PCT 89,219 13 
			 South East Essex PCT 66,130 12 
			 South Gloucestershire PCT 31,758 8 
			 South Staffordshire PCT 95,491 10 
			 South Tyneside PCT 45,844 14 
			 South West Essex Teaching PCT 69,018 10 
			 Southampton City PCT 57,080 14 
			 Southwark PCT 73,561 13 
			 Stockport PCT 50,294 10 
			 Stockton on Tees Teaching PCT 40,238 12 
			 Stoke on Trent Teaching PCT 30,714 6 
			 Suffolk PCT 98,111 11 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT 101,837 18 
			 Surrey PCT 182,627 10 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 65,485 10 
			 Swindon PCT 37,219 12 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 46,342 11 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 32,918 12 
			 Torbay Care Trust 34,037 11 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 70,261 13 
			 Trafford PCT 37,542 10 
			 Wakefield District PCT 80,674 12 
			 Walsall Teaching PCT 54,867 11 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 59,498 13 
			 Wandsworth PCT 92,951 16 
			 Warrington PCT 38,929 12 
			 Warwickshire PCT 111,742 13 
			 West Essex PCT 46,324 11 
			 West Kent PCT 115,228 11 
			 West Sussex Teaching PCT 118,999 9 
			 Western Cheshire PCT 50,462 11 
			 Westminster PCT 108,552 20 
			 Wiltshire PCT 65,953 10 
			 Wirral PCT 73,502 12 
		
	
	
		
			 Wolverhampton City PCT 55,746 12 
			 Worcestershire PCT 106,215 12 
			 Notes: 1. These figures include PCT, Department of Health, strategic health authority and special health authority expenditure. The table sets out the level of mental health expenditure for PCTs in 2010-11 and shows this value as a proportion of total PCT expenditure. 2. Calculating programme budgeting data is complex and not all health care activity or services can be classified directly to a programme budgeting category or care setting. When it is not possible to reasonably estimate a programme budgeting category, expenditure is classified as ‘other: Miscellaneous’. GP contract expenditure cannot be reasonably estimated at disease specific level and is separately identified as a subcategory of 'Other' expenditure (category 23A). Source: Annual PCT programme budgeting financial returns.

Multiple Sclerosis: Palliative Care

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what palliative treatment is available on the NHS to people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis;
	(2)  if he will take steps to increase the provision of palliative treatments for patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis who are in receipt of benefits and cannot afford to pay for nabiximols and other drugs;
	(3)  whether his Department was consulted by NHS Coventry's Area Prescribing Committee on their decision not to fund nabiximols in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published a clinical guideline on the management of multiple sclerosis (MS) in primary and secondary care in the national health service. The guideline provides comprehensive evidence-based information on the benefits and limitations of the various methods of diagnosing, treating and caring for people with MS. This helps health professionals and patients, decide on the most appropriate treatment, including palliative care. People with neurological conditions nearing the end of their life should have access to a range of palliative care services as and when they need them—to control symptoms, offer pain relief, and to meet any personal needs they may have.
	NICE is currently updating this clinical guideline on MS, and nabiximols are one of the new interventions being considered. In the absence of NICE technology appraisal guidance on a drug, it is for the local NHS to make funding decisions based on the available evidence and an individual patient's circumstances. As nabiximols fall into this category, it would not be appropriate for the Department to be consulted on a local decision of this sort.

NHS: Innovation

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what day in 2012-13 he will launch the pilot of the Specialised Services Commissioning Innovation Fund.

Simon Burns: Development of the detailed operating arrangements is under way, which will be tested later this year, ahead of the Specialised Services Commissioning Innovation Fund being fully operational from 1 April 2013. It is too early to give a specific date when these arrangements will be piloted.

NHS: Negligence

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many medical negligence cases for (a) maternity, (b) obstetrics and (c) paediatrics were settled; and how much was paid out in each of the last five financial years by (i) Barking, Havering and Redbridge University hospitals, (ii) Barts and The London, (iii) Newham University Hospital and (iv) Whipps Cross University hospital NHS Trusts;
	(2)  which 10 NHS trusts in England had the highest compensation bills for medical negligence on (a) obstetrics, (b) paediatrics and (c) maternity in each of the last five years; and how much was paid out by each.

Simon Burns: The information requested has been placed in the Library and was provided by the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA).
	Data does not separately cover maternity because the NHSLA does not code this separately from obstetrics in its claims database. The amounts paid in a given year may include payments on settlements made in that year as well as payments made against settlements agreed in earlier years, for example where there are ongoing annual payments.

NHS: Reorganisation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2011, Official Report, column 114W, on the NHS: re-organisation, what recent estimate he has made of the likely cost of redundancy payments following the proposed abolition of (a) primary care trusts and (b) strategic health authorities under the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Simon Burns: The impact assessment, published alongside the Health and Social Care Bill, estimated that the redundancies resulting from the modernisation will cost £810 million. The estimate for total redundancy costs related to staff employed in primary care trusts is £634 million, and the estimate for strategic health authorities is £84 million.
	This upfront cost will result in a £1.5 billion saving per year by 2014-15, which is a one-third reduction in the administrative spending across the system. The upfront costs of the modernisation will be more than recouped from the cost-savings by the end of 2012-13.
	The impact assessment is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsLegislation/DH_123583
	A copy has already been placed in the Library.

Palliative Care

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are being made for the commissioning of children's palliative care services in Worcestershire following the introduction of NHS reforms; and what representations his Department has received on this matter.

Anne Milton: The majority of clinical interventions will be commissioned by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) although for some services, a collaborative, or in a small number of cases, a national approach may be appropriate. We expect that most children's palliative care services will therefore be commissioned by CCGs.
	The Department has received recent correspondence from my hon. Friend on behalf of Acorns, a provider of children's palliative care services in Worcestershire.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in each of the last five financial years.

Simon Burns: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is independent of Government and accountable to Parliament through the Public Administration Select Committee. Their annual reports, including financial information are available online at:
	www.ombudsman.org.uk/about-us/publications/annual-reports

Plastic Surgery

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure the safety of patients undergoing intradermal filler procedures;
	(2)  when his Department plans to publish its guidelines on (a) who can prescribe intradermal fillers, (b) who can administer intradermal filler procedures and (c) the level of appropriate professional training required.

Simon Burns: The materials used in intradermal fillers used for medical purposes are regulated under the European Union's medical devices directives. The possibility of further regulation for these procedures, including the regulation of the practitioners who can administer dermal fillers, will be considered as part of Sir Bruce Keogh's review into cosmetic interventions.

Plastic Surgery

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which groups the NHS Medical Director will be consulting as part of his review of the cosmetic surgery industry; and if he will publish a schedule of planned consultations;
	(2)  when the NHS Medical Director expects to consult the British Association of Dermatologists as part of his review of the regulation of the cosmetic surgery industry.

Simon Burns: All organisations with an interest in the review by the NHS Medical Director will be given the opportunity to submit evidence. An announcement will be made in the near future.

Prostate Cancer

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mean length of stay for patients undergoing (a) open, (b) laparoscopic and (c) robotically-assisted excision of the prostate was in each NHS acute trust in England in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Burstow: This information is not available in the format requested. Information concerning the mean length of stay for patients undergoing open, laparoscopic and robotically-assisted excisions of the prostate that took place in each national health service acute trust in England from 2006-07 to 2010-11 and mean length of stay for patients undergoing excisions of the prostate that took place in each NHS trust from 2001-02 to 2005-06 has been placed in the Library.
	Prior to 2006-07, it is only possible to identify whether an excision of the prostate took place as coding does not identify the method by which the excision was carried out. From 2006-07 onwards a series of codes were introduced to allow the identification of the means of excision.

Prostate Cancer

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) open, (b) laparoscopic and (c) robotically-assisted excisions of the prostate took place in each NHS acute trust in England in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Burstow: This information is not available in the format requested. Information concerning the number of finished consultant episodes for open, laparoscopic and robotically-assisted excisions of the prostate that took place in each national health service acute trust in England from 2006-07 to 2010-11 and the number of excisions of the prostate that took place in each NHS trust from 2001-02 to 2005-06 has been placed in the Library.
	Prior to 2006-07, it is only possible to identify whether an excision of the prostate took place as coding does not identify the method by which the excision was carried out. From 2006-07 onwards a series of codes were introduced to allow the identification of the means of excision.

Prostate Cancer

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on establishing a quality standard for the treatment of prostate cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: We have asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to develop a quality standard on prostate cancer, as part of a library of approximately 170 NHS quality standards. NICE is preparing this quality standard alongside an update of its existing clinical guideline on prostate cancer. NICE currently expects to complete the update of its prostate cancer guideline in late 2013.

Radiotherapy

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will take steps to ensure clinical commissioning groups have dedicated plans for replacing existing linear accelerators to deliver treatment as they reach the end of their working life;
	(2)  by what means radiotherapy treatment will be commissioned after April 2013.

Paul Burstow: From April 2013, radiotherapy services will either be commissioned by Clinical Commissioning Groups or by the NHS Commissioning Board. No final decisions have yet been taken on which services will be directly commissioned by the board. Work is in hand to define the list of services for direct commissioning and Ministers expect to be in a position to confirm those services in the summer.
	Individual national health service trusts are responsible for replacing capital equipment, such as linear accelerators, that is at the end of its useful working life. We expect trusts to plan strategically and manage their capital expenditure to ensure that they can replace high value equipment. It is up to trusts to prioritise their investments.
	One of the cancer Peer Review Measures require local organisations to agree an equipment replacement programme with their cancer networks in order to avoid the life of a linear accelerator extending beyond the recommended 10 years. This measure is assessed as part of the Cancer Peer Review Programme.
	Tariff pricing includes depreciation for capital equipment and therefore contributes the cash to fund capital expenditure. Trusts have the ability to build up cash reserves from income to fund high value equipment. Depreciation charges should be enough to cover like for like replacement, depreciation on equipment and buildings comes to £2.1 billion per year. There is capital money in the system for new machines where these are needed.
	Commissioners have a role in ensuring that quality standards are maintained and patients have access to the latest recommended technology.
	‘Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer’, published in January 2011, sets out our commitment to expand radiotherapy capacity by investing over £150 million in additional funding over the next four years. This will support increased utilisation of existing equipment, establish new services to increase capacity in some areas and ensure that all high priority patients with a need for proton beam therapy treatment get access to it abroad.

Radiotherapy

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to publish the national tariff for radiotherapy in April 2013.

Simon Burns: For 2012-13, the use of currencies (the unit of health care for which payment is made) for external beam radiotherapy has been mandated. Non-mandatory tariff prices have been published however these are indicative and commissioners and providers can agree local pricing.
	We will make a decision later this year whether to introduce mandatory tariffs for 2013-14, based on feedback about the non-mandatory prices for 2012-13.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff of his Department retired in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how many such staff were taking early retirement in each such year; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: For the purposes of this parliamentary question, the Department defines retirement as happening when a member of staff decides to leave our employment at or after the pension age for their pension scheme. For the majority of the Department's civil servants pension age is 60. The following table gives this information.
	
		
			 April to March each year Civil servants in grades administration officer to grade 6 (AO-G6) Senior civil servants Total 
			 2010-11 24 8 32 
			 2011-12 47 7 54 
		
	
	The Department has also approved a number of voluntary exits since March 2010. Of those who have left, the information about those who have chosen to access their pension before their normal retirement age is given in the following table. This group were at least minimum pension age, which is the earliest point an individual can access their pension benefits.
	
		
			  Civil servants in grades AO to G6 Senior civil servants Total 
			 May 2010 to March 2011 5 2 7 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 64 28 92 
		
	
	There have also been four medical retirements in 2010-11—three at grades AO to G6 and one senior civil servant.

Skin Cancer

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department has allocated to public health campaigns aimed at raising awareness of skin cancer in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Paul Burstow: SunSmart is the national skin cancer prevention campaign run on behalf of the United Kingdom Health Departments by Cancer Research UK. In 2009-10, the Department provided £615,000 to the campaign and for 2011-12 we have contributed £500,000.
	In 2011-12 this money has supported the production and distribution of educational materials, a schools campaign, helped local providers working on skin cancer prevention and delivered a major targeted marketing campaign in conjunction with the popular music festival ‘T4 on the Beach’.
	Cancer Research UK is also currently running ‘R UV Ugly’, a campaign funded by a £150,000 Third Sector Investment Programme grant from the Department, to raise awareness of the dangers of sunbeds and the benefits of skin checks. The campaign is being run in partnership with SK:n who are providing free ultraviolet scans in their clinics across the UK.

Social Services

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether personalised care budgets can be used to purchase care from a local authority and not solely from an independent provider.

Paul Burstow: Personal budgets are intended to enable the personalisation of social care services by allocating a budget to people. Personal budgets do not have a legislative basis and describe a management arrangement operated by local authorities. A direct payment is one way in which the individual can choose to take that money in order to meet their needs, but personal budgets do not have to involve a cash exchange with the service user.
	A personal budget can be taken by an individual in the following different ways:
	as a direct (cash) payment; held by the individual. Direct payments were established in law in 1996;
	as an account held and managed by the council in line with the individual's wishes; or as an account placed with a third party (provider) and called off by the individual;
	or as a mixture of these approaches.
	If an individual prefers to receive local council services to meet some of their assessed care needs, the council may agree to offer a combination of direct payments and services.
	Personal budget holders can still choose to receive services provided by their council. Alternatively, the budget can be held by a third party acting on behalf of the service user—such as an individual carer, provider, trust or specialist broker. However the personal budget is deployed, the same principles remain:
	the individual has been informed about a clear, upfront allocation of funding;
	there is an agreed care plan making clear what outcomes are to be achieved with that money; and
	the individual can use the money in ways and at times of their choosing.

Thalidomide

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what considerations he has given to continuing the thalidomide health grant beyond 2012;
	(2)  if he will consider making his Department's thalidomide health grant permanently available and linking increases in the grant to the consumer prices index.

Paul Burstow: The Thalidomide Grant is a three-year pilot, running from April 2010 until March 2013, to explore how the health needs of Thalidomide survivors can best be met in the longer term and how such a scheme might be applied to other small groups of geographically dispersed patients with specialised needs.
	Departmental officials met with members of the National Advisory Council to the Thalidomide Trust in June 2010, to discuss their evaluation of the first year. Further meetings will be held to discuss years two and three and we will consider the future of the grant further into the pilot.
	We expect to receive an evaluation report on the second year from the National Advisory Council shortly; a meeting will then be arranged in response to that report to discuss progress.

Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what resources (a) are available and (b) will be made available for housing of tuberculosis patients as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidance on tuberculosis in hard to reach groups;
	(2)  with reference to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's public health guidance 37, Identifying and managing tuberculosis among hard-to-reach groups, published in March 2012, what funding he plans to allocate to implement screening and treatment of latent tuberculosis for substance misusers and ex-prisoners;
	(3)  whether he plans to expand Find and Treat mobile screening services in (a) London and (b) other metropolitan areas with an incidence of tuberculosis of over 40 people per 10,000 population;
	(4)  if he will implement the recommended ratio of one full-time equivalent case manager per 40 tuberculosis incident cases requiring regular case management, and one per 20 incident cases requiring enhanced case management.

Anne Milton: The commissioning and provision of tuberculosis (TB) services is a matter for local national health service organisations and their partners, such as local authorities, to determine according to local needs and circumstances. We would expect them to take into account the recommendations made in the recent guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, ‘Identifying and managing tuberculosis among hard-to-reach groups’, when planning and commissioning such services.
	The NHS and public health system reforms will provide opportunities for more integrated planning and commissioning of services for TB through health and wellbeing boards, and collaborative working by clinical commissioning groups, providers and local authorities, supported by the NHS Commissioning Board and Public Health England.

Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure adequate and timely tuberculosis screening and treatment for prisoners.

Paul Burstow: The Department and the Health Protection Agency published guidance for prison staff to improve the detection of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis (TB), in prisons, “Prevention of infection and communicable disease control in prisons and places of detention” in August 2011. A copy of this publication has been placed in the Library and is available online at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1309970446427
	Eight prisons in England have been equipped with digital x-ray machines and related information technology systems to improve detection of infectious TB earlier in the course of imprisonment and to reduce the risk of onward transmission.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published good practice guidance “Identifying and managing tuberculosis among hard-to-reach groups” in March aimed at raising awareness, identifying and managing TB in hard to reach groups, including the homeless, prisoners and vulnerable migrants. A copy of this publication has been placed in the Library and is available online at:
	www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/13683/58591/58591.pdf
	Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, responsibility for commissioning offender health care passes from primary care trusts to the national health service Commissioning Board (NHSCB) in April 2013. From this date, the NHSCB will commission services for prisoners of all ages and secure the same access to health and social care services and appropriate to their needs in line with the standards set for the rest of the population.

Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to address reports of discrimination against and exclusion of individuals with tuberculosis by some social services agencies.

Paul Burstow: Local authorities (LAs) are specified in Schedule 19 of Equality Act 2010 and as such, are covered by the general equality duty in relation to all of their functions. This means that in the exercise of their functions, LAs must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act and advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
	Disability is defined as a protected characteristic under the Act as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on people's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. The Department considers that people with tuberculosis (TB) are very likely to fall within this definition and should therefore enjoy the protections afforded by the legislation.
	The National Knowledge Service—Tuberculosis, provided by the Health Protection Agency, has published a range of resources aimed at improving the knowledge and understanding of TB among those who may work with people at risk of the disease. These include hostels for the homeless and services for substance misusers, asylum seekers and children.
	The Department has funded TB Alert, the national TB charity, to raise public and professional awareness of TB.

Vacancies

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many job vacancies there were for (a) staff posts and (b) senior Civil Service posts in his Department on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold information, in the form requested, for 31 March 2010 and 2011 so has provided information on the numbers of vacancies advertised in each of these respective financial years. We are able to provide details on job vacancies as at 31 March 2012. These are set out in the following tables.
	The Department introduced recruitment controls in November 2009, to establish the affordability and suitability of all posts for recruitment, internally and externally. Since the announcement of the civil service recruitment freeze on 24 May 2010, controls have been tightened.
	
		
			  Senior civil servants Civil servants in grades administration officer to grade 6 
			  External (1) Internal (2) External (1) Internal (2) 
			 2009-10 4 18 31 115 
			 2010-11 2 4 2 321 
			 (1 )Excludes secondments into the Department (2 )Includes trawls across other Government Departments 
		
	
	
		
			  Senior civil servants Civil servants in grades AO to G6 
			  External Internal External Internal 
			 31 March 2012 0 4 0 186